Herbert Hoi

Herbert Hoi is a Research Fellow at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology within the Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. He has maintained a continuous research position at the institute since April 1991, establishing himself as a leading expert in avian behavioral ecology and parasitology.

Dr. Hoi was born on July 12, 1961, in St.Veit a.d. Glan, Austria. He completed his thesis on "Ecology and mating system of bearded tits (Panurus biarmicus)" between 1985 and 1988, followed by research assistant work in the Department of Ethology at the University of Vienna from 1989 to 1991.

His primary research focuses on social, mating, and reproductive behavior of birds, investigating fundamental questions about coloniality advantages, mate attraction mechanisms through acoustic and visual communication, evolutionary basis of female mate choice, and complex dynamics of extra-pair copulation. His work bridges behavioral ecology with molecular parasitology, particularly in studying haemosporidian parasites in avian hosts.

Dr. Hoi's publication record shows a significant shift toward avian parasitology in recent years, with numerous high-impact papers (2023-2025) examining tissue-stage development of Haemoproteus and other blood parasites in birds. His research employs advanced molecular techniques including RNAscope in situ hybridization to study parasite-host interactions at the tissue level.

His current funded projects include:

• Sparkling Science Project: Chemical Defense in the Animal Kingdom
• Sparkling Science Project: Birds as Bioindicators
• FWF project P19310-B17: Maternal effects and female allocation strategies in house sparrows (Passer domesticus)
• FWF project: Sexual selection in the Common Toad (Bufo bufo) Grant # P19264-B17
• Sparkling Science Project: Climate Change: Impact on our Birdlife Grant # SPA/01/2007/51/A/ClimateChange

Dr. Hoi collaborates internationally with researchers including Prof. Andrea Pilastro from the University of Padova and Dr. Matteo Griggio. His work contributes significantly to understanding evolutionary processes, conservation biology, and the impacts of environmental change on avian populations through both behavioral and parasitological perspectives.