Role of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) as vectors and reservoirs of animal and zoonotic diseases

Common or European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are a widespread avian species often found in close association with human developments and agriculture. The main focus of this project will be to identify pathogens present in starling faeces collected at Trawsgoed dairy farm, and at the roosting site at Aberystwyth Pier over a 3-year period. It also aims to estimate the economic impact of starling feed predation by starlings within a dairy farm, and the potential economic benefits of implementing non-lethal measures such as netting and scare devices to prevent access by starlings to farm buildings. The student will gain experience in microbial diagnostics, molecular biology, metagenomics, microscopy and bioinformatics. The student will also gain experience in field work, analysis of behaviour, handling wild birds, using radio transmitter tags and understanding of wild bird population health.