Research Trainee
Draženko Z. Rajković
M.Sc. in Ecology
Contact:
Address:
Telephone:
E-Mail:
Research area
Ecology, Ornithology, Theriology, Conservation Biology, Biomonitoring
Skills
Methodologies:
- Raptor diet analysis using pellets
- Audio-visual detection and identification of birds
- Playback-based bird survey methods
- Capture, marking, and professional handling of small mammals and birds
- Collection of blood samples
- Radio and GPS/GSM telemetry
Computer skills:
- Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- SPSS
- STATISTICA
- R/RStudio
- QGIS
- Inkscape
- Google Earth Pro
- Vortex 10
- MaxEnt
- PuTTY
Work experience:
- 2026 – present: Research Trainee, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade
- 2023 – 2026: Technical Associate, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade
- 2022 – 2023: Ornithologist, Ecoplan Ltd., Mostar
- 2022 – 2022: Senior Expert – Ornithology, Ekokons Ltd., Belgrade
- 2021 – 2021: External Consultant, Center for Energy, Environment and Resources, Sarajevo
- 2016 – 2020: Administrative Technician and Field Ornithologist, Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia, Novi Sad
Education:
- 2025 – present: PhD student in Biology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac
- 2024 – 2025: MSc in Ecology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac
- 2019 – 2023: BSc in Environmental Protection Analysis (Environment and Sustainable Development), Singidunum University, Belgrade
Awards and certificates:
- 2023 – Completed online course “Peer Review Excellence: IOP Training and Certification – Training Graduate”, Institute of Physics, Bristol, United Kingdom
- 2019 – Completed course “Statistical Data Analysis”, Agency for Education “Poslovna savršenost”, Novi Sad – Belgrade, Serbia
- 2016 – Participant in the Red List Assessor Training Workshop, BPSSS – IUCN ECARO – MAVA & EuroNatur, Srebrno jezero, Veliko Gradište, Serbia
- 2015 – Participant in TRIMMaps training – population trend analysis and spatial analysis of monitoring data, European Bird Census Council, Mikulov, Czech Republic
- Since 2007 – Associate of the Animal Marking Centre, Natural History Museum in Belgrade, holding an A licence for capturing and ringing wild bird species, Belgrade, Serbia
Other professional activities
- Preparation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies
- Assessment of conservation status and evaluation of wild species based on IUCN criteria
- Avifauna inventory and valuation for the identification, revision, and designation of ecological networks, including IBA and Natura 2000 sites
Editorial and Reviewer’s activity (journals, books, projects):
- Reviewer for international and national scientific journals: Journal of Biogeography, Ardea, Neotropical Biology and Conservation, Zoology and Ecology, Biologica Nyssana
Memberships:
- Serbian biological society
- The Raptor Research Foundation (Kansas, United States)
- The Society for Conservation Biology (Washington, DC, United States)
Current:
- Monitoring of bird–power line collisions, including a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of different types of bird diverters/markers (Joint Stock Company “Elektromreža Srbije”, Belgrade)
Past:
- 2025 – Improving the protection of the Eurasian Eagle-Owl population in Eastern Serbia (European Union, European Investment Bank, United Nations Development Programme, Ministry of Environmental Protection of Serbia, Governments of Sweden, Switzerland and Serbia, Belgrade) https://buljina.rs/
- 2025 – Monitoring of bird populations (Public Enterprise “National Park Tara”, Bajina Bašta)
- 2025 – Satellite tagging of the European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus (Public Enterprise “Palić–Ludaš”, Palić)
- 2024 – Data collection and related ornithological services for the establishment of the EU Natura 2000 ecological network in the Republic of Serbia, Phase 7 (Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, Belgrade)
- 2023 – Establishment of the ecological network in the Republic of Serbia, Phase 7 (Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, Belgrade)
- 2023 – Monitoring of avifauna in the Special Nature Reserve “Jerma” (Public Enterprise “Srbijašume”, Forest Estate “Pirot”, Pirot)
- 2022 – Data collection and related services for the continuation of the ecological network establishment in the Republic of Serbia, Phase 6 (Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, Belgrade)
- 2022 – Data collection and related services for the continuation of the EU Natura 2000 ecological network establishment in the Republic of Serbia, Phase 5 (Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, Belgrade)
- Stanković D, Rajković DZ, M. Raković, M, Skorić S, Chakarov N, Pibaque P, Marzal A. (2025): Prevalence, Genetic Diversity, and Pathogenicity of Avian Haemosporidian Parasite Co-infection in Free-Living Long-Eared Owls (Asio otus). Integrative Zoology 21 (1): 28-36. https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.70023
- Rajković DZ, Vučanović M, Medenica IJ, Dimitrijević V, Koturov J, Stanković D, Skorić S. (2025): Eurasian Eagle-Owl Bubo bubo (Linnaeus, 1758) (Aves: Strigidae) in Eastern Serbia in the 21st century: distribution, population size and density. Kragujevac Journal of Science 47 (1): 121-138. https://doi.org/10.5937/KgJSci2501121R
- Rajković DZ, Stanković D, Šeat J, Stevanović DS, Andrejević Stošović MV, Skorić S. (2024): Spatial Ecology of a Resident Avian Predator During the Non-Breeding Period in Managed Habitats of Southeastern Europe. Animals 14 (22): 3338. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14223338
- Howard C, Marjakangas EL, Morán-Ordóñez A, Milanesi P, Abuladze A, Aghababyan K, Ajder V, Arkumarev V, Balmer DE, Bauer HG, Beale CM, Bino T, Boyla KA, Burfield IJ, Burke B, Caffrey B, Chodkiewicz T, Del Moral JC, Dumbovic Mazal V, Fernández N, Fornasari L, Gerlach B, Godinho C, Herrando S, Ieronymidou C, Johnston A, Jovicevic M, Kalyakin M, Keller V, Knaus P, Kotrošan D, Kuzmenko T, Leitão D, Lindström Å, Maxhuni Q, Mihelič T, Mikuska T, Molina B, Nagy K, Noble D, Øien IJ, Paquet J-Y, Pladevall C, Portolou D, Radišić D, Rajkov S, Rajković DZ, Raudonikis L, Sattler T, Saveljić D, Shimmings P, Sjenicic J, Šťastny K, Stoychev S, Strus I, Sudfeldt C, Sultanov E, Szép T, Teufelbauer N, Uzunova D, van Turnhout CAM, Velevski M, Vikstrøm T, Vintchevski A, Voltzit O, Voříšek P, Wilk T, Zurell D, Brotons L, Lehikoinen A, Willis SG. (2023): Local colonisations and extinctions of European birds are poorly explained by changes in climate suitability. Nature Communications 14: 4304. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39093-1
- Marjakangas EL, Bosco L, Versluijs M, Xu Y, Santangeli A, Holopainen S, Mäkeläinen S, Herrando S, Keller V, Voříšek P, Brotons L, Johnston A, Princé K, Willis SG, Aghababyan K, Ajder V, Balmer DE, Bino T, Boyla KA, Chodkiewicz T, Del Moral JC, Dumbović Mazal V, Ferrarini A, Godinho C, Gustin M, Kalyakin M, Knaus P, Kuzmenko T, Lindström Å, Maxhuni Q, Molina B, Nagy K, Radišić D, Rajkov S, Rajković DZ, Raudonikis L, Sjeničić J, Stoychev S, Szép T, Teufelbauer N, Ursul S, van Turnhout CAM, Velevski M, Vikstrøm T, Wilk T, Voltzit O, Øien IJ, Sudfeldt C, Gerlach B, Shimmings P, Lehikoinen A. (2023): Ecological barriers mediate spatiotemporal shifts of bird communities at a continental scale. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120 (23): e2213330120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213330120
- Cerman K, Rajković D, Topić B, Topić G, Shurulinkov P, Mihelič T, Delgado JD. (2022): Environmental Niche Modelling Predicts a Contraction in the Potential Distribution of Two Boreal Owl Species under Different Climate Scenarios. Animals 12 (22): 3226. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12223226
- Rajković DZ, Stanojević N, Raković M, Medenica I. (2022): Further range expansion of the masked shrike Lanius nubicus (Lichtenstein, 1823) (Aves: Laniidae) in the Balkan Peninsula: the first record of the species from Serbia. Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 74 (3): 379-383.
- Rajković DZ. (2018): Diet composition and prey diversity of Tengmalm’s owl Aegolius funereus (Linnaeus, 1758; Aves: Strigidae) in central Serbia during breeding. Turkish Journal of Zoology 42 (3): 346-351. https://doi.org/10.3906/zoo-1709-28
- Puzović S, Radišić D, Ružić M, Rajković D, Radaković M, Pantović U, Janković M, Stojnić N, Šćiban M, Tucakov M, Gergelj J, Sekulić G, Agošton A, Raković M. (2015): Ptice Srbije: procena veličina populacija i trendova gnezdarica 2008-2013. Društvo za zaštitu i proučavanje ptica Srbije & Departman za biologiju i ekologiju, Prirodno-matematički fakultet, Univerzitet u Novom Sadu, Novi Sad. https://plus.cobiss.net/cobiss/sr/sr_latn/bib/309101063