Global Biodiversity Monitoring
Climate change
Institute of Zoology
Zoological Society of London
Regent's Park
NW1 4RY
Malcolm's work focuses on the ecology, conservation and management of island avian biodiversity.
By combining research disciplines (primarily population and movement ecology) we are able to identify threats, explore the effectiveness of potential conservation actions and provide guidance to inform management actions in both terrestrial and marine systems.
Current research focuses on island systems in the Indian Ocean, in collaboration with local government, academic and conservation NGO partners. This includes long-term studies (>30 years), a range of species-specific recovery programs, for example the endangered Mauritius kestrels, and the restoration of important seabird islands and protection of their surrounding marine environments.
September 2014-present: Senior Research Fellow. Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London.
April 2010-August 2014: Senior Research Fellow. Centre for Agri-Environmental Research (CAER) University of Reading.
September 2004-March 2010: Research Fellow. CAER.
October 2000-July 2004: Postgraduate student. The ecology and management of a reintroduced population of the Mauritius kestrel, University of Reading.
February 1998-April 1999: Seychelles magpie-robin program Field project coordinator. RSPB/Birdlife Seychelles.
September 1992-September 1997: Director of conservation programs (six months) & project supervisor (various species & island programs). Mauritian Wildlife Foundation.
Booth Jones, K. A., M. A. C. Nicoll, C. Raisin, D. A. Dawson, H. Hipperson, G. J. Horsburgh, J. J. Groombridge, S. M. H. Ismar, P. Sweet, C. G. Jones, V. Tatayah, K. Ruhomaun and K. Norris (2017). "Widespread gene flow between oceans in a pelagic seabird species complex." Molecular Ecology 26(20): 5716-5728.
Carr, P., A. Trevail, S. Bárrios, C. Clubbe, R. Freeman, H. J. Koldewey, S. C. Votier, T. Wilkinson and M. A. C. Nicoll (2021). "Potential benefits to breeding seabirds of converting abandoned coconut plantations to native habitats after invasive predator eradication." Restoration Ecology 29(5): e13386.
Carr, P., S. Votier, H. Koldewey, B. Godley, H. Wood and M. A. C. Nicoll (2021). "Status and phenology of breeding seabirds and a review of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas in the British Indian Ocean Territory." Bird Conservation International 31(1): 14-34.
Clark, B. L., et al. (2023). "Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds." Nature Communications 14(1): 3665.
Franklin, K. A., M. A. C. Nicoll, S. J. Butler, K. Norris, N. Ratcliffe, S. Nakagawa and J. A. Gill (2022). "Individual repeatability of avian migration phenology: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Journal of Animal Ecology 91(7): 1416-1430.
Franklin, K. A., K. Norris, J. A. Gill, N. Ratcliffe, A.-S. Bonnet-Lebrun, S. J. Butler, N. C. Cole, C. G. Jones, S. Lisovski, K. Ruhomaun, V. Tatayah and M. A. C. Nicoll (2022). "Individual consistency in migration strategies of a tropical seabird, the Round Island petrel." Movement Ecology 10(1): 13.
Hays, G. C., et al. (2020). "A review of a decade of lessons from one of the world’s largest MPAs: conservation gains and key challenges." Marine Biology 167(11): 159.
Kennerley, R. J., M. A. C. Nicoll, S. J. Butler, R. P. Young, J. M. Nuñez-Miño, J. L. Brocca and S. T. Turvey (2019). "Home range and habitat data for Hispaniolan mammals challenge assumptions for conservation management." Global Ecology and Conservation 18: e00640.
Le Corre, M, Nicoll, M et al. (2023) Abundance, habitat selection and movements at sea of the red-footed booby (Sula sula) as informative tools for conservation management within the Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan. Report to SeyCCAT Project Ref: BGF2/L/N11
Maggs, G., M. A. C. Nicoll, N. Zuel, D. Murrell, J. Ewen, C. Ferriere, V. Tatayah, C. Jones and K. Norris (2019). Bridging the research-management gap: using knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement to aid decision-making in invasive rat management. Island invasives: scaling up to meet the challenge. C. R. Veitch, M. N. Clout, A. R. Martin, J. C. Russell and C. J. West. Dundee, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. 62: 31-35.
Maggs, G., K. Norris, N. Zuël, D. J. Murrell, J. G. Ewen, V. Tatayah, C. G. Jones and M. Nicoll (2019). "Quantifying drivers of supplementary food use by a reintroduced, critically endangered passerine to inform management and habitat restoration." Biological Conservation 238: 108240.
McGrady, M. J., W. A. Al-Fazari, M. H. Al-Jahdhami, M. A. C. Nicoll and M. K. Oli (2017). "Sooty Falcon Falco concolor reproduction and population dynamics on the islands in the Sea of Oman." Ibis 159(4): 828-840.
Nicoll, M. A. C., N. C. Cole, C. Horswill, C. G. Jones, N. Ratcliffe, K. Ruhomaun, V. Tatayah and K. Norris (2022). "No detectable effect of geolocator deployment on the short- or long-term apparent survival of a tropical seabird." Ibis 164: 1201-1212.
Nicoll, M. A. C., C. G. Jones, J. G. Groombridge, S. Henshaw, K. Ruhomaun, V. Tatayah, N. Zuel and K. Norris (2021). "Contrasting recovery trajectories of four reintroduced populations of the Endangered Mauritius Kestrel (Falco punctatus)." Ibis 163(4): 1294-1309.
Nicoll, M. A. C., M. Nevoux, C. G. Jones, N. Ratcliffe, K. Ruhomaun, V. Tatayah and K. Norris (2017). "Contrasting effects of tropical cyclones on the annual survival of a pelagic seabird in the Indian Ocean." Global Change Biology 23(2): 550-565.
Paquet, M., J. Knape, D. Arlt, P. Forslund, T. Pärt, Ø. Flagstad, C. G. Jones, M. A. C. Nicoll, K. Norris, J. M. Pemberton, H. Sand, L. Svensson, V. Tatayah, P. Wabakken, C. Wikenros, M. Åkesson and M. Low (2021) “Integrated population models poorly estimate the demographic contribution of immigration.” Methods in Ecology and Evolution 12(10):1899-1910.
Taylor, J., M. A. C. Nicoll, E. Black, C. M. Wainwright, C. G. Jones, V. Tatayah, P. L. Vidale and K. Norris (2021). "Phenological tracking of a seasonal climate window in a recovering tropical island bird species." Climatic Change 164(3): 41.
Teixeira, H., M. Le Corre, A. Jaeger, A. Choeur, M. Saunier, F.-X. Couzi, V. Tatayah, N. J. Shah, M. A. C. Nicoll, N. Avargues and L. Humeau (2022). "Isolation and characterization of 50 microsatellite loci for two shearwater species, Ardenna pacifica and Puffinus bailloni." Molecular Biology Reports.
