Isabel Castro (biologist)

Isabel Castro is professor of wildlife biology at Massey University in New Zealand. Her research focuses on conservation biology, primarily of birds and native ecosystems, but also including invertebrates and introduced mammals. She is a principal investigator in the Te Pūnaha Matatini Centre of Research Excellence.

Academic career
Castro has a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of Los Andes, and a Master of Science in environmental biology from Eastern Illinois University. She completed a PhD titled Behavioural ecology and management of Hihi (Notiomystis cincta), an endemic New Zealand honeyeater at Massey University in 1995. Castro joined the faculty, and was promoted to full professor in 2021.

Castro's research is around conservation of island species and ecosystems. She studies conservation biology, behavioural ecology, parasites and pathogens and technology for conservation. While her focus is mainly on birds, she has also worked on land snails and introduced mammals.

Castro was named Fellow of the International Ornithologists Union in 2022. Castro is a principal investigator in Te Pūnaha Matatini Centre of Research Excellence. She is a core member of the collaborative project AviaNZ and a member of the Kiwi Recovery Group, Wildbase and the NZ Banding Advisory Committee. She gave training in wildlife monitoring to workers on an award-winning Bay of Islands conservation project, and was part of a collaborative project with Plant & Food Research to determine if native birds can control orchard pests.

Castro has written a guide to the birds of the Galapagos Islands a book introduction to field biostatistics and a children's book about kiwi.

Selected works
Paton, S.; Whelan, P.; Castro, I.C. (2020): Introducción a la Bioestadística de Campo. The Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.25573/data.11935569.v2. 1.	Undin M and Castro I. (2022) Predicting breeding systems to guide conservation strategies: A kiwi example. Ethology 128(7): 538-549. 2.	De Rosa, A., Castro, I. Marsland S. 2022. The playback technique in avian fieldwork contexts: a systematic review and recommendations for best practice. Ibis, 164(2): 371-387. 3.	Undin M, Lockhart P, Hills S, Armstrong DP, and Castro I. 2021. Mixed mating in a multi-origin population suggests high potential for genetic rescue in North Island brown kiwi, Apteryx mantelli. Front. Conserv. Sci. 2:702128. 4.	Juodakis J., Castro I., Marsland S. 2021. Precision as a metric for acoustic survey design using occupancy or spatial capture-recapture. Environ Ecol Stat. 5.	San Juan, P.A., Castro, I., and Dhami, M. 2021. Captivity reduces diversity and shifts composition of the Brown Kiwi microbiome. Animal Microbiome. 6.	Feenstra, E., Alley, M.R., and Castro I. 2021. Predation of a Kiwi, Apteryx australis lawryi, Chick by Weka, Gallirallus australis scotti. Laboratory Report. Kokako 28 (1) 17-18. 7.	Undin M, Hills SFK, Lockhart PJ, Castro I. 2021. Gaps in genetic knowledge affect conservation management of kiwi (Apteryx) species. Ibis. doi: 10.1111/ibi.12951. 8.	Vieco-Galvez D., Castro, I., Morel, P.C., Chua, W.H., and Loh, M. 2021. The eggshell structure in Apteryx; form, function, and adaptation. Ecology and Evolution. Doi:10.1002/ece3.7266. 9.	Espinosa, C., Castro, I. & Cruz-Bernate L. 2021. Dimorfismo sexual críptico en Sicalis flaveola (Aves: Thraupidae) en el trópico. Bol. Cient. Mus. Hist. Nat. U. de Caldas. 55-70. ISSN: 0123-3068 (in paper) ISSN: 2462-8190 (on line). 10.	Undin M, Lockhart PJ, Hills SFK and Castro I. 2020. Genetic Rescue and the Plight of Ponui Hybrids. Front. Conserv. Sci. 1:622191. Doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2020.622191 11.	Bansal N., Pomroy W., Heath A.C. and Castro I. 2021. Aspects of the development of Ixodes anatis under different environmental conditions in the laboratory and in the field. Parasites and Vectors. PARV-D-20-00217.03/03/2020. 12.	Cruz-Bernate L, Castro I, Rivera HF. 2020. Rasgos conductuales confirman personalidad en una especie de ave tropical: Sicalis flaveola. Ornitologia Colombiana 18: 39- 13.	Castro, I.C., Hunter, S.A., Alley, M.R. 2020. Prolonged Drought has had a Devastating Effect on North Island Brown Kiwi Populations. Kokako 54: 2-4.