Behavioural Biologist    

Dr Joy Tripovich is a behavioural ecologist working in the Conservation Behaviour Lab at the Taronga Conservation Society Australia. Joy completed her PhD from the University of Sydney and Science degree from the University of New South Wales. She has over two decades of behavioural ecology research experience working with a broad array of species from both the marine and terrestrial environments. Joy has a special interest in animal communication and how animals adapt to their natural environment under anthropogenic environmental change.  

Joy has worked at the Taronga Conservation Society in several different roles over her career and most recently joined the team again in 2018 to lead the review of the Regent Honeyeater Conservation Breeding program. From there, she has expanded the program to include the development of non-invasive nest protection measures, the song tutoring program and the assessment into the effects of bushfires on bird behaviour and mortality. She has extensive experience working with cross-disciplinary teams and has worked closely with policymakers and advocacy groups to help translate science into decision-making. 

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you ended up at Taronga 

Growing up, I was always surrounded by animals, which fostered my curiosity, passion and desire to protect them. So, for me undertaking a science degree after school seemed like a natural progression.

After completing a Bachelor of Science at the University of New South Wales, I was eager to gain hands-on experience working with animals. I started working as a volunteer with Taronga’s Behavioural Watch team (now known as the Behavioural Studies Unit) and as a volunteer with the Marine Mammal team.  

These volunteer roles spurred my interest in studying animal communication, which then led me to complete a PhD at the University of Sydney where I focused my thesis on the acoustic behaviour of seals. I would later go on to complete several postdoctoral fellowship positions with a focus in bioacoustics research and work at different research organisations.  

However, my time away from Taronga would not be for long, as I found myself returning to work here again! Today, I hold a joint position working as a Behavioural Ecologist at Taronga Conservation Society Australia and the University of New South Wales. 

What’s a project you’re currently working on and how is it contributing to conservation? 

I primarily work on supporting the species recovery of the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater, which is a medium sized native Australian songbird facing the threat of extinction. Its main threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, competition from other species, and low nest success because of predation and their small population size.  

My research into the conservation and protection of Regent Honeyeaters is multi-faceted and involves a team of people working together tirelessly to protect this species. One of the research areas includes the evaluation and optimisation of our husbandry practices at Taronga for breed and release purposes,  with the aim to release optimally fit birds to the wild to maximise their success and support the species.  

Another area of focus is the song tutoring program for Regent Honeyeaters. Song is important for courtship, feeding and group cohesion, so this ‘music school’ teaches zoo-bred Regents to sing the wild song type. Singing the correct song can help with integrating the zoo-bred birds with wild birds and improve their breeding and survival success and increase numbers of the birds in the wild.

In addition, we are working on nest protection measures for Regent Honeyeaters due to their poor nest success and recently engaged widely with colleagues from a broad array of disciplines to use decision analysis to help guide nest protection measures for threatened bird species.  

This work was recently published in the international journal Oryx and shows that by applying a combination of conservation actions alongside improvements in nest detection, it is possible, based on the opinion of experts, to provide a pathway for the recovery of the Regent Honeyeater.  

As a result of that and similar work, we are now focusing our research efforts on nest protection measures using acoustic deterrents to drive away predators from nesting birds. Through passive acoustic monitoring, we can detect arboreal predators near nesting Regent Honeyeaters, to guide nest intervention measures and adequately protect the species. 

Have you always had an interest in science? 

I have always had an interest in science but more specifically, I have been fascinated by animals and how they communicate with each other and modify and adapt their behaviours to the changing world around them.   

If you’ve ever faced uncertainty about whether you belonged in science, how did you navigate that? 

I feel like I would be lying if I didn’t acknowledge that I have had moments of doubt as to whether I belonged in science or not. This field can be challenging but also extremely rewarding. For me personally, I feel a sense of purpose in the work that I do, and believe that collectively we are making a difference to the lives of animals some of which are on brink of extinction.