Investigating how urban environments shape the variation & evolution of bird colorations. Combining fieldwork, advanced imaging, and statistical modeling to understand urban evolutionary ecology.
Understanding urban evolution through avian ecology
I study how birds look and evolve in cities. As a Ph.D. candidate in Urban Evolutionary Ecology at Sorbonne Université, I investigate how urban environments shape the coloured signals of birds and their performances in reproduction.
By combining fieldwork with advanced imaging, high-resolution GIS, and statistical modeling, my research explores how urbanization processes, from pollution to habitat fragmentation, alter wild birds' evolutionary trajectories. I focus on two close relatives, the great tit and blue tit, to uncover how their plumage signals evolve in response to the city's new rules.
I believe science must be rigorous without being bland. Cities are messy, so is evolution. And that's where the beauty lies.
"Malgré la neige, le froid et la solitude, nous croyons - les mésanges et moi - au printemps à venir !"
Rosa Luxembourg
Technical & Research skills
Investigating urban evolutionary ecology
Urban environments impose novel pressures on wildlife: fragmented habitats, light and noise pollution, altered food webs. I study how these pressures shape observable traits -phenotypes- in wild bird populations of great tits and blue tits.
Using high-resolution satellite imagery, fine-scale GIS habitat characterization, and detailed field data, I examine how traits linked to plumage coloration vary with urbanization intensity. This variation reflects how individuals navigate the challenges of urban life—and how cities reshape the very expression of biodiversity.
I investigate whether urban environments generate consistent selection patterns, and whether these pressures might drive adaptive responses in bird populations.
My work combines longitudinal monitoring, spectrophotometry, and reproductive data to detect fitness advantages tied to colouration traits. I analyze how coloured signals like carotenoid chroma or melanin-based ornaments evolve differently in urban vs rural habitats.
All photos were taken during approved scientific procedures under ethical oversight. No additional stress was caused because of photography.
Never handle wild birds unless you are - trained and authorized - improper handling is dangerous for both animals and people.
All photos were taken during approved scientific procedures under ethical oversight. No additional stress was caused because of photography.
Never handle wild birds unless you are - trained and authorized - improper handling is dangerous for both animals and people.
All photos were taken during approved scientific procedures under ethical oversight. No additional stress was caused because of photography.
Never handle wild birds unless you are - trained and authorized - improper handling is dangerous for both animals and people.
All photos were taken during approved scientific procedures under ethical oversight. No additional stress was caused because of photography.
Never handle wild birds unless you are - trained and authorized - improper handling is dangerous for both animals and people.
All photos were taken during approved scientific procedures under ethical oversight. No additional stress was caused because of photography.
Never handle wild birds unless you are - trained and authorized - improper handling is dangerous for both animals and people.
All photos were taken during approved scientific procedures under ethical oversight. No additional stress was caused because of photography.
Never handle wild birds unless you are - trained and authorized - improper handling is dangerous for both animals and people.
All photos were taken during approved scientific procedures under ethical oversight. No additional stress was caused because of photography.
Never handle wild birds unless you are - trained and authorized - improper handling is dangerous for both animals and people.
All photos were taken during approved scientific procedures under ethical oversight. No additional stress was caused because of photography.
Never handle wild birds unless you are - trained and authorized - improper handling is dangerous for both animals and people.
All photos were taken during approved scientific procedures under ethical oversight. No additional stress was caused because of photography.
Never handle wild birds unless you are - trained and authorized - improper handling is dangerous for both animals and people.
All photos were taken during approved scientific procedures under ethical oversight. No additional stress was caused because of photography.
Never handle wild birds unless you are
- trained and authorized - improper handling is dangerous for both animals and people.
Academic instruction & scientific outreach
Recent research contributions
Oikos – Under Review
Ecology & Evolution – Submitted
Ongoing Project
Ongoing European collaborative project investigating spatial variation in carotenoid-based breast coloration in Parus major across major urban territories (Montpellier, Warsaw, Lund, Turku, Antwerp).
Recent presentations & talks
RT ParusNet Meeting, Paris, France • 40+ researchers
Black-tie ornamentation selection patterns in urban vs. rural environments
British Ornithologists' Union (BOU), Nottingham, UK • 125-250 researchers
Great tits' colouration correlates with fine-scale landscape properties
British Ornithologists' Union (BOU), Nottingham, UK • 125-250 researchers
Divergent selection patterns on yellow breast feathers in cities
"ParidMeeting", Montpellier, France • 40+ researchers
Patterns of selection on yellow carotenoid-based colouration
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