Ivan Maggini

Ivan Maggini serves as a Researcher and Scientific Coordinator of the Austrian Ornithological Centre at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, where he leads the Ornithology unit within the Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences. His work focuses on physiological constraints shaping bird migration strategies across extreme environments like deserts and seas.

Maggini holds a PhD in Ornithology from the University of Oldenburg (2005-2009) and a Diploma in Zoology from the University of Zurich (1998-2004). His postdoctoral training includes fellowships at the Institute of Avian Research Helgoland (2009-2010) and the University of Western Ontario (2012-2014), where he studied migratory physiology under Prof. Franz Bairlein and Prof. Christopher Guglielmo.

His research centers on how physiological limitations—particularly water balance and energy management—determine migratory behavior in passerines crossing the Sahara. By measuring cutaneous water loss in species from different habitats and tracking birds via Motus nanotags, he investigates why Mediterranean species successfully refuel without surface water while central European species require drinking sources. His work integrates field studies in Morocco, Israel, and Italy with advanced tracking technologies to assess climate change impacts on migration flexibility.

Recent publications reveal consistent themes in physiological migration ecology, with emphasis on hormonal regulation (corticosterone, testosterone), thermoregulation in extreme heat, and innovative methods like diet metabarcoding. His work demonstrates how physiological adaptations constrain responses to environmental change, particularly in trans-Saharan migrants facing desert and sea crossings.

Maggini actively supervises four students—Armando Aispuro, Clara Machowetz, Bernhard Paces, and Barbara Waringer—and leads three major projects: 1) Water balance mechanisms in desert-crossing migrants; 2) Austria's Motus tracking network expansion across the Alps; 3) Coordination of the national bird ringing scheme integrating traditional methods with modern tracking. His research receives support through international collaborations with European institutions and the Motus wildlife tracking network.

As Scientific Coordinator of the Austrian Ornithological Centre, he directs the Ornithology unit at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, maintaining field operations at key migration hotspots including Neusiedlersee, Grünau, and Ventotene Island. His team collaborates with Mediterranean ringing stations to study migratory connectivity across the European-African flyway.