About the project

Quantifying avian pest control: developing the Functional Insectivory Index through a modular multisensory network for monitoring of bird predation

ORNISCOPE is a 24-month Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship project that bridges field ecology and smart sensing to answer a critical question: How effectively do insectivorous birds suppress pest insects in our forests?

The Challenge

Insectivorous birds play an important role in forest resilience through trophic cascades, yet their real-world contribution to arthropod suppression remains difficult to quantify. Current methods rely on indirect proxies that fail to capture the functional potential of birds as predators. We lack species-specific, temporally resolved data linking foraging behaviour to actual pest suppression.

Our Solution

ORNISCOPE develops an innovative modular multisensory monitoring system combining:
Energy-efficient smart cameras (2 fps, 48+ hours battery life),
AI-powered image analysis (custom-retrained MegaDetector model),
3D-printed caterpillar models for ecologically valid predation monitoring,
The Functional Insectivory Index (FII) – a new, behaviour-based metric that integrates bird abundance, trait-based predation potential, and observed foraging behaviour.

Field Implementation

We deploy 60 smart cameras across a gradient of forest management intensity from clear cuts through stands of different ages and structures to natural forests with long-term minimal management. Cameras monitor Quercus robur trees during three key stages of bird phenology: pre-nesting, nesting, and fledgling care. The system captures near-continuous predation events while complementary surveys quantify bird communities, arthropod prey availability, and herbivory damage.

Innovation & Impact

Methodological advance: Open-source, low-cost (<€180/unit) camera system with Edge-Fog-Cloud architecture,
Scientific advance: First behaviourally-grounded, trait-informed index of avian biocontrol,
Societal impact: Tools for forest managers to assess and enhance natural pest suppression,
Open science: All hardware designs, software, and datasets released under permissive licenses (CERN OHL v2, MIT, CC BY 4.0).

Collaboration

Host: University of South Bohemia (Czech Republic) – Dr. Milan Novák, Dr. Ladislav Ptáček
Secondment: INRAE Bordeaux (France) – Dr. Bastien Castagneyrol
Funding: EU Horizon Europe MSCA-PF programme

Wanna be part of it as a BSc or MSc student? Just send me an email.