About

The Avian Behavioural Ecology Lab is a research group based at the University of Waikato, led by Dr Juli Gaviraghi Mussoi.
We study how birds interact with their environments and how their behaviour is shaped by ecological pressures and evolutionary processes. Our research broadly focuses on avian behaviour, with particular emphasis on sleep, communication, cognition, and physiological responses to environmental change. We use a combination of field and captive studies, experimental approaches, and integrative methods.

If you are looking for collaborations or postgraduate opportunities, feel free to contact me at [email protected]

Research

Sleep and Behaviour

Sleep is a fundamental biological process that supports cognition, communication, and physiological regulation across animals. In this research, we investigate how sleep disturbances affect daily behaviour, performance, and fitness in birds. Our work combines experimental approaches with behavioural and physiological measurements to understand the consequences of disturbed sleep in natural and human‑altered environments.

In birds, songs and calls are essential for social interactions, mate choice, and coordination of behaviour. Our research focuses on avian vocal communication, examining how birds produce, modify, and use vocal signals. We explore how environmental conditions, social context, and internal physiological state shape vocal behaviour and signalling strategies.

Avian Communication

Cognition and Decision‑Making

Animals constantly face decisions that affect survival and reproduction, from choosing where to forage to how to respond to environmental challenges. In this research area, we study learning, problem‑solving, and decision‑making in birds. We are particularly interested in how cognitive processes are shaped by ecological pressures and how they change in response to environmental disturbance.

Changes and disturbances in the environment can affect how animals behave by influencing their internal physiological systems. We study how stress hormones and other physiological processes shape behavioural responses to both natural conditions and human‑driven environmental change. By linking behaviour with physiology, we aim to understand how birds cope with increasingly variable and human‑modified environments.

Environmental Change and Physiology

Publications

For an updated list of publications, visit Google Scholar profile.

Hoffbeck, C., Gaviraghi Mussoi, J., Cain, K. E., Taylor, M.W. (2025) Sleep deprivation and stress hormone manipulation alter bacterial community, decrease diversity in the gut of common mynas. Journal of Avian Biology, 2025(5), e03527. 10.1002/jav.03527Patel, K.; Gaviraghi Mussoi, J., Stanley, M. C., & Cain, K. E. (2025) The impacts of sleep disturbance on birds: a review of the knowledge gaps. Journal of Avian Biology 2025:e03454. 10.1002/jav.03454Gaviraghi Mussoi, J., MacQueen, R. A., Stanley, M. C., Li, S., Quann, C. T., Cain, K.E. (2025) The effects of sleep disturbance on a songbird’s vocal performance. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 292. 20251409. 10.1098/rspb.2025.1409Gaviraghi Mussoi, J., MacQueen, R. A., Stanley, M. C., & Cain, K. E. (2024). Experimentally elevated corticosterone increases song output and complexity in common mynas. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology, 1–10. 10.1002/jez.2817Vincze, E., Kačergytė, I., Gaviraghi Mussoi, J., Urhan, U. & Brodin, A. (2024) Are comparable studies really comparable? Suggestions from a problem-solving experiment on urban and rural great tits. Animal Cognition 27, 47. 10.1007/s10071-024-01885-3deRegnier, R., Gaviraghi Mussoi, J., Gaskett, A. (2023) Passage of spores of the dung moss Tayloria callophylla (Splachnaceae) through and avian digestive tract - a novel mode of dispersal? Bryophyte Diversity and Evolution, 46(1), 168-173. 10.11646/BDE.46.1.18Gaviraghi Mussoi, J., Stanley, M. C., & Cain, K. E. (2022). Importance of sleep for avian vocal communication. Biology Letters, 18(8) 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0223Johnsson, R. D., Connelly, F., Gaviraghi Mussoi, J., Vyssotski, A. L., Cain, K. E., Roth, T. C., & Lesku, J. A. (2022). Sleep loss impairs cognitive performance and alters song output in Australian magpies. Scientific Reports, 12(1) 10.1038/s41598-022-10162-7Chaib, S., Gaviraghi Mussoi, J., Lind, O., & Kelber, A. (2021). Visual acuity of budgerigars for moving targets. Biology Open, 10(9) 10.1242/bio.058796Gaviraghi Mussoi, J., Johnsson, R., Connelly, F., Lesku, J., & Cain, K. E. (2022). Effects of sleep deprivation on birdsong performance in adult Australian magpies. Journal of Sleep Research, 29 (77-78). 10.1111/jsr.13181Johnsson, R. D., Connelly, F., Gaviraghi Mussoi, J. G., Cain, K. E., Vyssotski, A. L., Roth, T. C., & Lesku, J. A. (2020). A causal role for sleep in maintaining high neurobehavioural performance in Australian magpies. Journal of Sleep Research, 29 (178-178). 10.1111/jsr.13181

People

Dr Juli Gaviraghi Mussoi

My name is Juli Gaviraghi Mussoi (she/her), and I am a Lecturer in Animal Behaviour at the University of Waikato. I grew up in a rural area in the south of Brazil, where spending time outdoors, often playing with frogs and watching animals, sparked my early curiosity about behaviour. I completed a BSc in Biological Sciences at UCS (Brazil), including a year‑long exchange at Thompson Rivers University (Canada), where I first became interested in bird behaviour. I then pursued a Master’s degree in Animal Ecology at Lund University (Sweden), where I discovered the field of avian cognition. I completed my PhD and postdoctoral research at the University of Auckland, studying how sleep disturbances influence birdsong and behaviour. My work continues to explore how environmental pressures shape avian behaviour, with the goal of linking behavioural mechanisms to ecological and evolutionary outcomes.

Current Students

Amelia Worley - PhD CandidateAmelia is a new PhD candidate at the University of Auckland interested in the role of sleep on brain function in birds, with potential applications to both conservation biology and human neuroscience. Her research will use EEG recordings to explore the effects of disturbed sleep on neural activity, hormone levels, cognition, and responses across different brain regions.

Kamya Patel - PhD StudentKamya is a PhD student at the University of Auckland studying the impacts of sleep disturbance on birds, particularly how sleep disturbance affects vocal learning, song performance and hormones. She is interested in studying the impacts of anthropogenic activity on animals through their behaviour, and how this may inform conservation.
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Charlotte Sutton - MSc StudentCharlotte is a MSc student at the University of Auckland, and is investigating how sleep disturbance affects cognitive performance in birds. She aims to have this research inform conservation work concerning the impacts of anthropogenic noise pollution. Charlotte's research interests involve the intersection of animal behaviour, cognition, and neuroscience.

Past Students

Chase Leathard (MSc) Chase completed his MSc at the University of Auckland in 2025. His thesis was on the seasonal variation of oestradiol and testosterone in captive gentoo and king penguins. He was co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Kristal Cain and me.Simone Li (MSc) Simone completed her MSc at the University of Auckland in 2024. Her thesis was on the effects of sleep disturbances on common mynas’ behaviour. She was co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Kristal Cain and me.Rebecca MacQueen (MSc) Becky completed her MSc at the University of Auckland in 2022. Her thesis was on the stress physiology effects on vocal performance in the common myna. She was co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Kristal Cain and me.