Wildlife Madagascar is excited to welcome Dr. Jade Tonos, Assistant Professor of Biology at San Francisco State University (SFSU), and her lab team to La Mananara this month. The team is composed of a Malagasy avian biologist, a Master’s student from the University of Antananarivo, and two Master’s students from SFSU.
Over the next couple of months, the team will be conducting bird point count surveys and mist-netting across the site. La Mananara is considered an excellent birding site, known to host at least 112 species of birds. Specifically, the team will examine the impact of habitat degradation on Malagasy bird communities, collect data on bird morphology, and gather fecal samples to better understand the diets and gut microbiomes of birds within this critically important highland rainforest.
At Wildlife Madagascar, all animal handling is conducted exclusively by trained professionals following established ethical and research protocols. Animal welfare is the organization’s highest priority, and every effort is made to minimize stress and disturbance. No animals are harmed during this research, and all are safely released after data collection is completed.