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The European Conference for Behavioural Biology #ECBB2026 always goes so fast! This was an exceptional conference at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. The organizers and volunteers did a fantastic job (with a special shout out to @jacobcdunn.bsky.social and @wascherclaudia.bsky.social) 🙌

A group photo of the organizers in matching blue shirts

Claudia Wascher and Jacob Dunn in blue ECBB shirts

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Congrats to @ethoges.bsky.social’s Niko Tinbergen postdoc award winner @ahanaaurora.bsky.social 🏆 A talk on social learning and vocal communication in bats was the perfect way to close out #ECBB2026 🦇🦇🦇 Best of luck with your exciting new projects and field site!

Ahana Fernandez in front of a slide with a bat reading “social learning and vocal communication in bats” ECBB 04 09 2026 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, University of Munster. Ethoges president Wolfgang Goymann is laughing at the side

Ethoges president Wolfgang Goymann handing a certificate to Ahana Fernandez

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Last day of #ECBB2026 and we’re talking poison dart frogs with a plenary by @biobiiana.bsky.social 🐸 It's not easy dealing with deadly chytrid fungus, mercury poisoning, and disturbed habitats… 😰 Our poor frog friends are having a time of it (thanks humans👎)

Bibiana in front of a slide with a blue and yellow frog on a tree reading “Living on the edge: poison frog beahviour, morphology and life history under anthropogenic stress” Bibiana Rojas Sept 1-4 2026 ECBB 2026 Rojas Lab vetmeduni

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ASAB @asab.org · 03/09/2026

We hope folks aren’t too tired for the last day of #ECBB2026 … We know some of you more than thoroughly enjoyed the ceilidh at the conference dinner last night 💃🕺🥂

A collage of folks in a hall dancing the ceilidh

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Plenary by @mherberstein.bsky.social at #ECBB2026 on ant mimicry in spiders. Some are really better mimics than others… jeez are you guys even trying? 🕷️ 🐜 What a great wake up after lunch! 👀

Mariella in front of a slide reading “The power of museum collections
Opening museum collections for ecological, evolutionary & behavioural research”

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ASAB @asab.org · 03/09/2026

Starting #ECBB2026 day 3 with a plenary by Tim Caro on mammalian coloration. Behaviour studies could be a real help to test some outstanding questions, like why some animals have disruptive black & white coloration, chest patches, or differently colored offspring🕵️ Also, loved all the bear pics! 😍🐻

Tim in front of a slide with a panda on it reading “Mammalian coloration: How behavior can help”

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Congrats to the pub quiz winners tonight at #ECBB2026 🍻 Some of those questions were tough 😮‍💨

Smiling group of ppl holding up a certificate

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We hope everyone enjoyed Christopher Schell’s #ECBB2026 plenary as much as we have – it’s been a real eye opener on just how many levels we have affected the lives of urban animals. Historical redlining in the US is STILL not only affecting people, but biodiversity (and research data) as well 🤯😨

Christopher Schell standing in front of a slide reading “The behaviours of ghosts
How societal legacies impact urban animal behaviour Christopher J. Schelt
Associate Professor Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
University of California Berkeley” with a photo of a coyote stepping on a road

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A reminder from @andyradford.bsky.social that #AnimalBehaviourJournal depends on the support of everyone! Please review, and if you are at the stage of considering becoming an editor, do please let us know! #ECBB2026

What can you do?
* Submit your great work to Animal Behaviour
* Make sure you follow the Guide for Authors carefully
* Accept reviewing requests from the journal
* Support Society journals as you get something back
* As your experience grows, consider becoming a Consulting Editor or Editor
* Let us know if you are interested

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The previous executive editor of #AnimalBehaviourJournal, @andyradford.bsky.social, makes it clear at #ECBB2026 that they're not desk rejecting work for the sake of it - if it meets the basic conditions, it'll go to review! And don't be discouraged if you're asked to revise, that's normal 😊

* Executive Editor
* Decides whether the paper should be assigned to an Editor or rejected without further review (upfront rejection)
* What is the basis for an upfront rejection?
* Content does not fall with the remit of the journal
* Too narrowly focused taxonomically and lacking in any clear broad theoretical advance (absence of general hypotheses on evolution and mechanisms of behavior
* Guide to Authors: Work should test explicit hypotheses rather than being purely descriptive... preference is given to studies that are likely to be of interest and/or applicable to the broad readership of the journal

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Our meetings secretary @viveknityananda.bsky.social is very happy that ASAB is a part of #ECBB2026 !

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Day 2 of #ECBB2026 starting with a plenary by @ljnbrent.bsky.social on the adaptive functions of social relationships🫂 Speaking of which, for those on the fence about attending socials/networking – don’t forget what she said, the WHO considers social health on part with mental and physical health!

Lauren in front of a slide of rhesus macaques reading "Friend Origins and the Adaptive Function of Social relationships Lauren Brent University of ExeteR"

Social health the missing pillar WHO Defines health as complete physical mental and social well-being social health is not optional.

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ASAB @asab.org · 01/09/2026

Council hard at work relaxing last night after a very productive meeting!

A group of council members at a wooden table at Salisbury Arms

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Loved that @andyradford.bsky.social kicked off #ECBB2026 with the first plenary. For the last 5 years, Andy has been working extremely hard as the ASAB Executive Editor of the #AnimalBehaviourJournal and today just happens to be the day that he has passed on the torch to @bbmwong.bsky.social 🥰

Andy in front of a slide reading “Life in a noisy world “

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ASAB @asab.org · 01/09/2026

Hope everyone is excited for #ECBB2026 at Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge ! Don’t forget to follow @ecbb2026.bsky.social 😁

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ASAB @asab.org · 27/08/2026

🐠 Mexican tetras! 🏠 Resident effects! 🥊Aggressive contests! 🏆Winner-loser dynamics! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “The resident effect dominates over previous winner/loser experience in surface fish of the Mexican tetra” Read at doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123636

Screenshot of article:
Animal Behaviour
Volume 238, August 2026, 123636
The resident effect dominates over previous winner/loser experience in surface fish of the Mexican tetra
Julian Navarro-Pagan, Paola Figueroa-Colon, Alexander Figueroa-Negron, Luis Perez-Fabregat, Antonio Morales-Cintrón, Jean Mendoza-Anduce, Alondra Ortiz-Franco, Robert A. Kozol, Roberto Rodriguez-Morales

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ASAB @asab.org · 11/08/2026

🪲Ground beetles! 🕺Personality! 🔎Exploration! 🌳Edge effects! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Personality variation is linked to environmental differences between edge and core habitats in a flightless insect” Read at doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123620

Screenshot of article:
Animal Behaviour Volume 238, August 2026, 123620
Personality variation is linked to environmental differences between edge and core habitats in a flightless insect
Michael Grant, Claudia Drees, Gerardo Fracasso, Wiebke Schuett

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ASAB @asab.org · 24/07/2026

🦗Crickets! 🔊Vibrational stimuli! 🚧Sensitization! 👥 Individual variation! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Trait-specific responses to repeated stressor exposure reveal context-dependent learning in wild crickets” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123607

Screenshot of article:
Animal Behaviour Volume 237, July 2026, 123607
Trait-specific responses to repeated stressor exposure reveal context-dependent learning in wild crickets
Emily Gilford, Ruonan Li, Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz, Tom Tregenza, Bram Kuijper

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ASAB @asab.org · 14/07/2026

🍎Apple maggot flies! 💌Courtship effort! 🪰Wing displays! 💑Mating success! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Mutual visual displays and female signals underpin mating success in Rhagoletis pomonella flies” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123619

Screenshot of article:
Animal Behaviour
Volume 237, July 2026, 123619
Mutual visual displays and female signals underpin mating success in Rhagoletis pomonella flies
Sophia C. Anner, Rowan G. Ward, Brianna Neubacher, Alycia C.R. Lackey

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ASAB @asab.org · 09/07/2026

We are sponsoring an interdisciplinary workshop at UCL on the topic of agency! Registration for attending in person is limited so sign up soon. Deadline for the ECR elevator pitch session is Aug 7. More info here: www.animalinventiveness.com/post/interna...

Workshop. "Agency between Biology and Philosophy" 22-23 September 2026 University College London London Uk and online. Organisers Mathilde Tahar and Alecia Carter. Supported by UCL, Leverhulme trust, ASAB. Picture of two monkeys fighting.

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ASAB @asab.org · 30/06/2026

📚Meta-analyses!⚠️Key pitfalls! 🔬Improved methodology! 🖥️Reliable syntheses! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Biological and methodological pitfalls of meta-analyses in ecology and evolution: Lessons from eyespot function studies” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123448

Screenshot of article:
Animal Behaviour
Volume 236, June 2026, 123448
Biological and methodological pitfalls of meta-analyses in ecology and evolution: lessons from eyespot function studies
Ayumi Mizuno, Pietro Pollo, Malgorzata Lagisz, Masayo Soma, Shinichi Nakagawa

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ASAB @asab.org · 15/06/2026

🐦‍⬛ Blackbirds!🪹Nest selection! 🏙️Urban environment!🤸Phenotypic plasticity! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Plasticity rather than genetic effects explains nest site selection in urban European blackbirds” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123590

Screenshot of article:
Animal Behaviour
Volume 236, June 2026, 123590
Plasticity rather than genetic effects explains nest site selection in urban European blackbirds

Piotr Minias, Marta Cholewa, Dariusz Wysocki

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ASAB @asab.org · 30/05/2026

🕷️Wolf spiders! 💌Courtship! 🦠Infection! 👀Visual receptivity! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Infection stress and mate assessment in wolf spiders: female mate choice varies with sensory mode of male courtship” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123540

Screenshot of article:
Animal Behaviour
Volume 235, May 2026, 123540
Infection stress and mate assessment in wolf spiders: female mate choice varies with sensory mode of male courtship
Olivia Bauer-Nilsen, George Uetz

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This outlook makes her a great fit for a multi-national organisation like ASAB, which she first began volunteering with as a council member in 2020. Thanks Elisa for all of your hard work so far, and all the work to come in your term as secretary! 6/6

Collage of Elisa with various folks at ASAB events

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As having lived in so many countries herself (UK, Austria, Japan, Australia, USA), Elisa thinks such experiences are invaluable for expanding student views, and enabling scientific and cultural exchange. In fact, she is the delegate of internationalisation within her institution! 5/6

Elisa giving a talk in Austria with a slide labelled microbee

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Elisa has also worked with octopus, cuttlefish, pheasants, cats and dogs! However, perhaps her biggest passion is her students. As academia and the world change, she believes strongly in mentorship and listening to her students. She also facilitates opportunities for students to go on exchange… 4/6

Elisa posing with kea parrots and student Davide on exchange in Austria

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And she has a lot of interests! Elisa actually was originally a physicist, and got into animal behaviour through mathematical modelling. She has worked on such topics as lateralization, social structures, spatial cognition, pain and sentience. And, although she has largely focused on bees… 3/6

Elisa staring down at an apparatus with bees in it

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Moreover, she is one of the four trustees legally responsible for ASAB. In addition to all of her work for us, Elisa is an associate professor at University of Trento – she loves this stage of her career, as she can freely follow any interest… 2/6

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ASAB @asab.org · 19/05/2026

For our next #MeetASAB feature, we have our secretary, Elisa Frasnelli. This job involves far more than setting up meetings and taking minutes – she is responsible for elections, prize nominations, the AGM, being the contact point for members/officers, and much more behind the scenes… 1/6

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The summer newsletter is now out! ☀️ If you didn't receive it by e-mail, you can check it out here and/or sign up to have future newsletters sent your way 📩 www.asab.org/newsletters

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ASAB @asab.org · 08/05/2026

🐤Yellowhammers! 🎶Birdsong! 💃Individuality! 🥁Rhythm! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Yellowhammer males sing using individual isochronous rhythms and maximize rhythmic dissimilarity with neighbours” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123552

Screenshot of article:
Animal Behaviour
Volume 235, May 2026, 123552
Yellowhammer males sing using individual isochronous rhythms and maximize rhythmic dissimilarity with neighbours
Anna N. Osiecka, Marcos Q. Oliva, Jan Kouřil, Tereza Petrusková, Lara S. Burchardt

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ASAB @asab.org · 30/04/2026

🦝Raccoons!💡Innovation!📦Multi-access box!🍗Optimal foraging! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Raccoons optimally forage for information: exploration–exploitation trade-offs in innovation” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123491

Screenshot of article:
Animal Behaviour
Volume 234, April 2026, 123491
Raccoons optimally forage for information: exploration–exploitation trade-offs in innovation
Hannah J. Griebling, Shylo R. Johnson, Sarah Benson-Amram

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ASAB @asab.org · 21/04/2026

🐼Lemurs! 🖊️Social learning! 🫂Tolerance! 🌐Diffusion analysis! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Social tolerance mediates social learning in wild red-fronted lemurs, Eulemur rufifrons, and ring-tailed lemurs, Lemur catta” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123517

Screenshot of article

Animal Behaviour
Volume 234, April 2026, 123517

Social tolerance mediates social learning in wild red-fronted lemurs, Eulemur rufifrons, and ring-tailed lemurs, Lemur catta

Sandro Sehner, Fanomezana Ratsoavina, Claudia Fichtel

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ASAB @asab.org · 14/04/2026

🎊 Congrats as well to the runner up of the ASAB Video Competition, Taruna Verma, for “Mate Finding Strategies in Nasonia Males” 🎊 #ASABSpring2026

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ASAB @asab.org · 14/04/2026

🎉 Congratulations to the ASAB Video Competition winner Amaia Alcalde Anton! Check out her video: “What Did I Leave in the Fridge” 🎉 #ASABSpring2026   Want to know more? Read the paper this entry was based on: doi.org/10.1098/rstb...

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ASAB @asab.org · 31/03/2026

🐜Ants! 🍄‍🟫Fungal parasites! 👷‍♂️Task switching! 🏥Immune function! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Chronic fungal infection accelerates age polyethism in ants without altering immune response” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123426

Screenshot of article
Animal Behaviour
Volume 232, February 2026, 123426
Chronic fungal infection accelerates age polyethism in ants without altering immune response
Michał Kochanowski, Anna Dubiec, Aleksander Juszczak, Igor Siedlecki, Piotr Ślipiński, Marta Wrzosek, Enikő Csata, Magdalena Witek

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ASAB @asab.org · 30/03/2026

We asked the researchers at #ASABSpring2026 if they could summarise their posters in 10 words or less - and they stepped up to the challenge 😍 (Also watch to the end for a celebrity cameo⭐️)

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ASAB @asab.org · 29/03/2026

Read the original article in #AnimalBehaviourJournal here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Facebook post by Vice reading “A study published in the journal Animal Behavior says that birds from all over the world, from the Galápagos to New Zealand, are weaving discarded cigarette butts into their homes. Sometimes, they're even nesting directly in actual, literal ashtrays.
Why? Because they provide a kind of natural/completely unnatural pesticide, with the nicotine and heavy metals a human drags into the butts that seem to naturally repel parasites.
Photo of a hooded crow with a cigarette “by Andrei Sidorov on Unsplash” and the headline “ARE BIRDS DEVELOPING AN ADDICTION TO CIGARETTES?”

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ASAB @asab.org · 24/03/2026

Another great ASAB council meeting at #ASABSpring2026 ! Kept it under 3 hours 💪🏻

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ASAB @asab.org · 20/03/2026

🐦‍⬛Bowerbirds!🕺Sexual signals!🪹Bower construction!🚨Disruptions! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Male great bowerbirds upregulate multiple sexual signals following bower wall removal” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123480

Screenshot of article
Animal Behaviour
Volume 233, March 2026, 123480
Male great bowerbirds upregulate multiple sexual signals following bower wall removal
Caitlin F. Evans, Laura A. Kelley

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ASAB @asab.org · 24/02/2026

🐜Ants! 🍄Fungal infections! 🦠Immune responses! 💼Task allocation! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Chronic fungal infection accelerates age polyethism in ants without altering immune response” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123426

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One last little fun fact: Emily Williamson (née Bateson), founder of the RSPB was Melissa’s great, great aunt! It looks like a love of birds may run in families… 😉 🐦 6/6

Melissa in front of a plaque reading "Emily Williamon née Bateson, 1855-1936, RSPB founder, conservationist and pioneer of women’s education was born at Highfield opposite here. RSPB.org.uk." Photo from RSPB

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The last 2 years, Melissa has been working with the other trustees to increase the professionalisation of ASAB operations, as well as advocating for open science practices, such as pre-registration in animal behaviour. It’s not easy being president & she has done a wonderful job so far 🤗 5/6

Melissa and Elisa giving the camera thumbs up at a conference

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As president, Melissa also needs to make decisions (but not about foraging). She chairs ASAB council and is also a trustee financially responsible for the charity, the law of which is quite complex. She also gets the far more fun job of handing out awards!... 4/6

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