Dr Lindy Thompson

PhD, University of KwaZulu-Natal, SA
MSc, University of Reading, UK
BSc(Hons), University of Edinburgh, UK

Lindy did her MSc project on the breeding and calls of Eurasian Eagle-owls in southern Spain (supervised by Vincenzo Penteriani and Graham Holloway). For her PhD, she investigated factors affecting basal metabolic rate in Cape White-eyes, under the supervision of Colleen Downs and Mark Brown. She graduated with a PhD from UKZN in 2015. She then took up a three-year postdoc in Limpopo province, studying the breeding and movement ecology of Hooded Vultures. In 2018, Lindy joined the Birds of Prey Programme at the Endangered Wildlife Trust, where she is currently responsible for applied research and monitoring. She hopes to collaborate with Fitz students and staff in addressing knowledge gaps that will have applied outcomes for raptor conservation in southern Africa.

Recent peer-reviewed publications

2025

Thompson, L.J., Davies, J.P. (2025). Hooded Vulture. In: Lee ATK, Rose S, Banda S, Bezeng SB, Maphalala MI, Maphisa DH, Smit-Robinson H (eds), The 2025 Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. Johannesburg, South Africa: BirdLife South Africa. Available at: https://www.birdlife.org.za/red-list/hooded-vulture/

Hounnouvi, F.E.K., Gandaho, S.M., Bain, F., Hamming, P. and Thompson, L.J. (2025) Assessment of vegetation habitat types and characteristics of potential nesting trees for White-Backed Vultures (Gyps africanus) in Kempiana and Manyeleti Nature Reserves, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Ecology and Evolution 15:e71147. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71147

2024

Gandaho, S.M., Sogbohossou, E.A. & Thompson, L.J. (2024) NIMO: A Graphical User Interface-Based R Package for Species Distribution Modeling". Ecological Solutions and Evidence 5:e12385. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12385

Le Roux, R., Thompson, L.J., Jansen van Vuuren, B., Willows-Munro, S. (2024) Family associations in a breeding colony of Critically Endangered Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) in the Lowveld of South Africa. Ecology and Evolution 14:e70606. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70606

Daboné, C., Thompson, L.J. Ouéda, A., Ouédraogo, I. & Weesie, P.D.M. (2024) Nest-site selection by Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus in the Sudano-Sahelian area of Burkina Faso. Ostrich. https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2024.2419890

Le Roux, R., Colmonero-Costeira, I., Deikumah, J.P., Thompson, L.J., Russo, I-R. M., Jansen van Vuuren, B. & Willows-Munro, S. (2024) High conservation importance of range-edge populations of Hooded Vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus). Scientific Reports 14:18040. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-68756-2

Daboné, C., Adjakpa, J.B., Dansi, M.F., Thompson, L.J., Dissou, F.E. & Weesie, P.D.M. (2024) Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus are at risk of extinction in Benin: A result of poaching for belief-based use and decreasing food availability. Ecology and Evolution 4: e11184. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11184

Daboné, C., Ouédraogo, I., Ouéda, A., Thompson, L.J., & Weesie, P.D.M. (2024) Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus are still declining in West Africa: a nearly 50-year assessment study (1969-2019). Ostrich 95: 21-31. https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2024.2309934

Serratosa, J., Oppel, S., Rotics, S., Santangeli, A., Butchart, S.H., Cano-Alonso, L.S., Tellería, J.L., Kemp, R., Nicholas, A., Kalvāns, A., Galarza, A., … Thompson, L.J. et al. (2024) Tracking data highlight the importance of human-induced mortality for large migratory birds at a flyway scale. Biological Conservation 293: 110525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110525

2023

Thompson, L.J., Davies, J.P., Daboné, C., Tate, G.J. & Therrien, J.-F. (2023) A new record of a chick falling from a Nest in Limpopo Province, South Africa, adds to the known causes of Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus mortality. African Zoology 58:120-128. https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2270500

Daboné, C., Ouéda, A., Thompson, L.J., Adjakpa, J.B. & Weesie, P.D.M. (2023) Trade in vulture parts in West Africa: Burkina Faso may be one of the main sources of vulture carcasses. Bird Conservation International 33, E8 https://doi.org/10.1017/S095927092100054X

Ehlers Smith, D., Ehlers Smith, Y., Davies-Mostert, H., Thompson, L., Parker, D., de Villiers, D., Rickets, D., Coverdale, B., Roberts, P., Kelly, C., MacFadyen, D., Manqele, N.S., Power, R.J. & Downs, C. (2023) The impacts of a global pandemic on the efficacy and stability of contemporary wildlife conservation: South Africa as a case study. Ambio 52: 598-615 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-022-01814-z

2022

Jallow, M., Dibba, M.L., Camara, F., Barber, D.R., Bildstein, K.L. & Thompson, L.J. (2022) Road counts reveal The Gambia’s West Coast Region still has the densest population of Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus in Africa. Ostrich 93: 248-256 https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2143922

Fern, F.K., Thompson, L.J., & Downs, C.T. (2022) An ethogram for the nesting and breeding behaviour of the Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus). Ostrich 93:129-140. https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2072965

Daboné, C., Ouéda, A., Thompson, L.J., Adjakpa, J.B. & Weesie, P.D.M. (2022) Local perceptions and sociocultural value of Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Ostrich 93: 233-247 https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2022.2120558

Mashele, N.M., Thompson, L.J. & Downs, C.T. (2022) Trends in the admission of wild raptors to the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Limpopo Province, South Africa. African Zoology 57:56-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2021.2016073

Krüger, S.C., Botha, A., Bowerman, W., Coverdale, B., Gore, M.L., Van den Heever, L. Shaffer, L.J., Smit-Robinson, H., Thompson, L.J. & Ottinger, M.A. (2022) Old World vultures reflect impacts of environmental pollutants through human encroachment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 41:1586-1603. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5358

Shaffer, L.J., Garland Hurst, J., Johnston, S., Barron, T., Bowerman, W.W., Krüger, S., Thompson, L.J. & Ottinger, M.A. (2022) Urban nesting of Black Vultures in Houston, Texas. Urban Naturalist 9:1-6. https://eaglehill.us/urna-pdfs-notes/urna-002-Shaffer.pdf

Kane, A., Monadjem, A. Aschenborn, O.H.K., Bildstein, K.L., Botha, A., Bracebridge, C., Buechley, E., Buij, R., Davies, J.P., Diekmann, M., Downs, C.T., Farwig, N., Galligan, T., Kaltenecker, G., Kelly, C., Kemp, R., Kolberg, H., MacKenzie, M., Mendelsohn, J., Msafiri, M., Nathan, R., Nicholas, A., Ogada, D., Pfeiffer, M., Phipps, L.W., Pretorius, M., Rösner, S., Schabo, D., Shatumbu, G., Spiegel, O., Thompson, L.J., Venter, J., Virani, M., Wolter, K. & Kendall, C. (2022) Understanding continent-wide variation in vulture ranging behavior to assess feasibility of Vulture Safe Zones in Africa: challenges and possibilities. Biological Conservation 268:109516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109516

2021

Thompson, L.J., Krüger, S.C., Coverdale, B.M., Shaffer, L.J., Ottinger, M.A., Davies, J.P., Daboné, C., Kibuule, M., Cherkaoui, S.I., Garbett, R.A., Phipps, L., Buechley, E., Ruiz, A.G., Lecoq, M., Carneiro, C., Harrell, R.M., Gore, M.L. & Bowerman, W.W. (2021) Assessing African vulture species as (i) avian biomonitors and (ii) umbrella species for all African vultures. Frontiers in Conservation Science 2:729025 https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.729025

Mashele, N.M.*, Thompson, L.J.* & Downs, C.T. (2021) Traditional health practitioners' and other community members' perceptions of vultures in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, South Africa. Journal of Raptor Research 55:340-358. * Joint first authors https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-20-34

Van den Heever, L., Thompson, L.J., Ottinger, M.A., Harrell, R., Smit-Robinson, H. & Bowerman, W. (2021) Reviewing the role of vultures at the human-wildlife-livestock disease interface: an African perspective. Journal of Raptor Research 55:311-327. https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-20-22

Ottinger, M.A., Botha, A., Buij, R., Coverdale, B., Gore, M.L., Harrell, R.M., Hassell, J., Krüger, S., McClure, C.J.W., Mullinax, J., Shaffer, L.J., Smit-Robinson, H., ThompsonL.J., van den Heever, L. & Bowerman, W.W. (2021) A strategy for conserving Old World vulture populations in the framework of One Health. Journal of Raptor Research 55:374-387. https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-20-98

Mashele, N.M., Thompson, L.J. & Downs, C.T. (2021) Uses of vultures in traditional medicines in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, South Africa. Journal of Raptor Research 55:328-339. https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-20-36

2020

Thompson, L.J. & Blackmore, A.C. (2020) A brief review of the legal protection of vultures in South Africa. Ostrich 91:1-12. https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2019.1674938

Thompson, L.J., Davies, J.P., Tate, G. & Downs, C.T. (2020) Captive large predators killing vultures: Exposing captive facilities as an additional source of mortality to critically endangered birds. Bothalia 50:a6. http://dx.doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v50.i1.6

Thompson, L.J., Barber, D., Bechard, M. Botha, A.J., Wolter, K., Neser, W., Buechley, E.R., Reading, R., Garbett, R., Hancock, P., Maude, G., Virani, M.Z., Thomsett, S., Lee, H., Ogada, D., Barlow, C. & Bildstein, K.L. (2020) Variation in monthly sizes of home ranges of Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus in western, eastern, and southern Africa. Ibis 162:1324-1338. https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-20-22

Gore, M.L., Hübshle, A., Botha, A.J., Coverdale, B.M., Garbett, R., Harrell, R.M., Krueger, S., Mullinax, J.M., Olson, L.J., Ottinger, M.A., Smit-Robinson, H., Shaffer, L.J., Thompson, L.J., van den Heever L. & Bowerman, W. (2020) A conservation criminology-based desk assessment of vulture poisoning in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area. Global Ecology and Conservation 23:e01076 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01076

2019

Thompson, L.J., Hickman, C., Davies, J.P., Fern, F. & Downs, C.T. (2019) A review of the use of birds’ nests by Egyptian Geese, including a breeding attempt in a Hooded Vulture nest. African Zoology 54:169-173. https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2019.1647116

Taylor, P.B., Van Heerden, F.R. & Thompson, L.J. (2019) A novel threat from invasive Lantana: Stem exudate clogs the feet of small birds. Emu 119:90-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2018.1479191

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