Animal Behaviour and Conservation
Watch our video of biology and conservation student, Megan, as she gives us a glimpse into what life was like on her year-long placement at Chester Zoo.
From ragworms and rhinos to locusts and lemurs…
Dr Sue Anne Zollinger PhD, FHEA
Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Physiology
My profile
Biography
I investigate animal physiology and behaviour using an integrative approach, with experience and expertise across a range of disciplines from urban ecology and endocrinology to functional morphology and sensory biology. My research combines work in both the field and the laboratory, and I believe that perspectives from both are essential to understand and test big questions about why animals do the things that they do. My interests centre around animal communication. Asking questions about how and why animals produce the signals that they do, and trying to understand the physiological and environmental forces that change and constrain these behaviours.
Projects
I am currently leading several projects, which involve students and collaborators from around the world. These share common themes related to the proximate mechanisms that shape behaviour, and especially acoustic signaling, as well as understanding how our human activities impact the animals we share the planet with.
Impacts of Urbanisation on Wildlife
The Evolution of Vocal Complexity
Bioacoustics as a Tool for Conservation and Welfare
Teaching
My research centres around understanding the proximate mechanisms of behaviour, and I use my research experience and interests to inform and shape my teaching and supervision.
I contribute to the teaching of many units across several courses, including:
Level 4
Comparative Anatomy and Physiology
Principles of Animal Behaviour
Biodiversity Monitoring
Level 5
Animal Health and Welfare - Unit Leader
Brain and Behaviour - Unit Leader
Sex & Survival
Level 6
Control and Coordination of Behaviour
Social Life of Animals
Level 7 (MSc)
Avian Biology and Conservation
Behavioural Biology
Practical Techniques and Analysis
Field Course
Zoology
Watch our video of biology and conservation student, Megan, as she gives us a glimpse into what life was like on her year-long placement at Chester Zoo.
Our BSc (Hons) Zoology degree offers an interd…
Zoo Conservation Biology
Zoos play a crucial role in animal conservation. Whether they’re carrying out important research into animal behaviour and welfare, taking part in breeding programmes, educating the public or ad…
Research outputs
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Books (authored/edited/special issues)
Zollinger, S.A. (2013) Avian Vocal Production in Noise.
Zollinger, S.A. (2008) From brain to song: the vocal organ and vocal tract.
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Chapters in books
Mathot, K.J., Zollinger, S.A., Freeberg, T.M. (2022) 'Personality and behavioural syndromes.' Songbird Behavior and Conservation in the Anthropocene. pp. 239-262.
Nemeth, E., Zollinger, S.A. (2013) 'The application of signal transmission modelling in conservation biology: On the possible impact of a projected motorway on avian communication.' Avian Urban Ecology.
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Journal articles
Sun, Y., Dunning, J., Taylor, T., Schroeder, J., Zollinger, S.A. (2023) 'Calls of Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus contain individual signatures.' Journal of Avian Biology,
Brumm, H., Goymann, W., Derégnaucourt, S., Geberzahn, N., Zollinger, S.A. (2021) 'Traffic noise disrupts vocal development and suppresses immune function.' Science Advances, 7(20)
Liu, Y., Zollinger, S.A., Brumm, H. (2021) 'Chronic exposure to urban noise during the vocal learning period does not lead to increased song frequencies in zebra finches.' Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 75(1)
Zollinger, S.A., Dorado-Correa, A., Goymann, W., Forstmeier, W., Knief, U., Bastidas Urrutia, A.M., Brumm, H. (2019) 'Traffic noise exposure depresses plasma corticosterone and delays offspring growth in breeding zebra finches..' Conservation Physiology, 7(1) pp. coz056-coz056.
Caorsi, V., Sprau, P., Zollinger, S.A., Brumm, H. (2019) 'Nocturnal resting behaviour in urban great tits and its relation to anthropogenic disturbance and microclimate.' Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 73(19)
Dorado-Correa, A., Zollinger, S.A., Heidinger, B., Brumm, H. (2018) 'Timing matters: traffic noise accelerates telomere loss rate differently across developmental stages.' Frontiers in Zoology, 15(29)
Dorado-Correa, A.M., Zollinger, S.A., Brumm, H. (2017) 'Vocal plasticity in mallards: multiple signal changes in noise and the evolution of the Lombard effect in birds.' Journal of Avian Biology, 49(1)
Zollinger, S.A., Slater, P.J.B., Nemeth, E., Brumm, H. (2017) 'Higher songs of city birds may not be an individual response to noise.' Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284(1860)
Brumm, H., Zollinger, S.A. (2017) 'Vocal plasticity in a reptile.' Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284
Hardman, S.L., Zollinger, S.A., Koselj, K., Leitner, S., Marshall, R.C., Brumm, H. (2017) 'Lombard effect onset times reveal the speed of vocal plasticity in a songbird.' Journal of Experimental Biology, 220(6) pp. 1065-1071.
Brumm, H., Zollinger, S.A., Niemelä, P.T., Sprau, P. (2017) 'Measurement artefacts lead to false positives in the study of birdsong in noise.' Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 8(11) pp. 1617-1625.
Templeton, C.N., Zollinger, S.A., Brumm, H. (2016) 'Traffic noise drowns out great tit alarm calls.' Current Biology, 26(22)
Elemans, C.P.H., Rasmussen, J.H., Herbst, C.T., Düring, D.N., Zollinger, S.A., Brumm, H., Srivastava, K., Svane, N., Ding, M., Larsen, O.N., Sober, S.J., Švec, J.G. (2015) 'Universal mechanisms of sound production and control in birds and mammals.' Nature Communications, 6
Zollinger, S.A. (2015) 'Why birds sing loud songs and why they sometimes don’t.' Animal Behaviour,
Zollinger, S.A. (2013) 'Bird song and anthropogenic noise: vocal constraints may explain why birds sing higher-frequency songs in cities.' Proceedings of the Royal Society B,
Zollinger, S.A. (2012) 'On the evolution of noise-dependent vocal plasticity in birds.' Biology Letters,
Zollinger, S.A. (2012) 'On the relationship between, and measurement of, amplitude and frequency in birdsong.' Animal Behaviour,
Zollinger, S.A. (2012) 'Effect Sizes and the Integrative Understanding of Urban Bird Song.' The American Naturalist,
Zollinger, S.A., Goller, F., Brumm, H. (2011) 'Metabolic and Respiratory Costs of Increasing Song Amplitude in Zebra Finches.' PLOS ONE, 6(9) pp. e23198-e23198.
Zollinger, S.A. (2011) 'The Lombard effect.' Current Biology,
Zollinger, S.A. (2011) 'The evolution of the Lombard effect: 100 years of psychoacoustic research.' Behaviour,
Zollinger, S.A. (2009) 'Developmental stress affects song learning but not song complexity and vocal amplitude in zebra finches.' Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology,
Zollinger, S.A. (2008) 'Two-voice complexity from a single side of the syrinx in northern mockingbird Mimus polyglottos vocalizations.' Journal of Experimental Biology,
Zollinger, S.A. (2004) 'Motor mechanisms of a vocal mimic: implications for birdsong production.' Proceedings of the Royal Society B,
Zollinger, S.A. (2004) 'Producing Song: The Vocal Apparatus.' Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences,
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Conference papers
Zollinger, S.A., Brumm, H. (2018) 'Effects of Experimental Traffic Noise Exposure on Avian Health and Fitness.' In Annual Meeting of the Society-for-Integrative-and-Comparative-Biology (SICB). 58. San Francisco, CA, 3/1/2018 - 7/1/2018. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, pp. E263-E263.
Zollinger, S., Dorado, C.A., Heidinger, B.J., Brumm, H. (2017) 'The effect of traffic noise exposure on telomeres varies with developmental stage.' In Annual Meeting of the Society-for-Integrative-and-Comparative-Biology (SICB). 57. New Orleans, LA, 4/1/2017 - 8/1/2017. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, pp. E456-E456.
Templeton, C.N., Zollinger, S.A., Brumm, H. (2016) 'Traffic noise drowns out a songbird's alarm calls.' In Annual Meeting of the Society-for-Integrative-and-Comparative-Biology (SICB). 56. Portland, OR, 3/1/2016 - 7/1/2016. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, pp. E219-E219.
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Other
Grimault, N., Zollinger, S.A. (2024) Crocodile perception of distress in hominid baby cries.
Press and media
Media appearances or involvement
May 2020 - Are Covid-related decreases in air and road traffic having an impact on birds? Listen below to some radio programmes where I discuss this topic:
and
Do Those Birds Sound Louder To You? An Ornithologist Says You’re Just Hearing Things
May 2020 - I was recently interviewed, along with several international colleagues, discussing the impact of noise pollution on wildlife, on BBC Radio 4’s Costing the Earth Programme. Have a listen here to learn more: