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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds

@ecobird.bsky.social
1.2K followers 309 following 32 posts

Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds 🐣 Ghent University, Belgium Posts by @fredverb.bsky.social‬ & @katywillcox.bsky.social

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Cesare Pacioni @cesarepacioni.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
(No) Birdbrain at Docville last night🎬 Really interesting take on bird cognition and conservation. Great to see @fredverb.bsky.social and @ecobird.bsky.social research brought to the screen 🐦 A short science documentary by Lode Desmet
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Dr Lucy Mitchell @lucyjmitchell.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
New from our @ecobird.bsky.social lab!
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Cesare Pacioni @cesarepacioni.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
ECoBird @ecobird.bsky.social at the European Conference of Tropical Ecology in Passau #ECTE2026 🦜
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Camille Troisi @camilletroisi.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
🚨Not one, but two papers now out on response inhibition (also called motoric self-regulation or inhibitory control in the field of animal cognition). Many studies find no link between individual performance on different tasks supposedly measuring response inhibition. 1/6
Close up of a herring gull, with red around the yellow eye, and a red spot on the lower beak
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Birds of the World | The Cornell Lab @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
MAJOR NEWS! We just launched an awesome new tool! The illustrated Birds of the World Phylogeny Explorer lets users trace any bird’s lineage, compare species relationships, and explore major evolutionary milestones with a click of a button. SHARE and EXPLORE! birdsoftheworld.org/bow/news/phy...
IMAGE SHOWS GRAPHIC OF CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY PHYLOGENY EXPLORER TOOL.
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
New paper out! Early-life social instability increases aggression in chickens, but does not affect response inhibition 🐤 We discuss what this means for developmental links between social environments, cognition, and social behaviour, highlighting strong context dependence Full text: rdcu.be/eYOzC
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Very grateful to co-authors @vernouilleta.bsky.social @birgitszabo.bsky.social An Martel, Luc Lens & @fredverb.bsky.social, & other members of @ecobird.bsky.social for their support! Also pleased for this paper to be part of an exciting collection in acta ethologica link.springer.com/collections/...
link.springer.com
Client Challenge
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Antoine Stier @antoinestier.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Please repost: 🚨Field assistant position 🐧 We offer a 14-months field assistant position through the French Polar Institute to work on king penguin ecophysiology and behavioral ecology. Requirements: EU citizen < 30yo having experience with harsh fieldwork & wild bird/mammal handling/sampling.
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Dr Lucy Mitchell @lucyjmitchell.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Doing some cool but challenging sciencing in the Gambia 🐦📡 Testing out the detection range for a #MotusWTS installation 🤞 So many cool species seen as well, lots of ideas for projects! @ecobird.bsky.social @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social
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Dr Lucy Mitchell @lucyjmitchell.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Adventure time! Off to Kartong Bird Observatory in the Gambia to test out #MotusWTS using a mobile #Sensorgnome and @lotektelemetry.bsky.social Nanotag! Me and my load of tech and trusty duct tape will be repping @ecobird.bsky.social funded by @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social. 🐦📡
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Birgit Szabo, PhD 🦎🐸🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @birgitszabo.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
New study on the way 📣 I am currently raising cute quails 🐥 to study the effects of enrichment on the development of the brain, cognition, behaviour, and health! I am learning loads of new skills @ecobird.bsky.social
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
🐦 EcoBird is hiring a Postdoc in animal cognition! Join us + @themanybirds.bsky.social to investigate innovation & problem-solving in birds. 📅 Start: as early as Jan 2026 🌍 Funded through UGent’s international mobility scheme More info & how to apply ↓ www.ugent.be/en/work/scie...
ugent.be
Postdoctoral fellow
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Birgit Szabo, PhD 🦎🐸🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @birgitszabo.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
It took almost a year to write this review on causes and consequences of ranging in chicken 🐔! This was a huge collaborative effort by @ecobird.bsky.social @pec-exeter.bsky.social and @vitorhbf.bsky.social ! I am very proud of the outcome. You can check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.32942/X22...
doi.org
Understanding individual range use in free-range chickens - a systematic review
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Waiting at Sofia Airport for my flight back to Brussels after an amazing trip to Bulgaria 🇧🇬. The visit was part of our new vulture conservation project with KMDA/ZOO Planckendael, and also connected to the documentary by Lode Desmet (and produced by ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS) on our ECoBird research.
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Cesare Pacioni @cesarepacioni.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
New preprint out on bioRxiv 🌳 doi.org/10.1101/2025... 🌳 Using data from 19 forest plots in Flanders, we found that forest structural complexity isn’t a consistent predictor of multidiversity and responses across taxa were mostly weak or inconsistent. @ecobird.bsky.social | @fornalab.bsky.social
doi.org
Multitaxon assessment reveals inconsistent biodiversity responses to forest structural complexity in temperate forests
Increasing forest structural complexity is a key objective of future-proof forest management, with potential benefits for biodiversity. However, empirical evidence for consistent biodiversity-structur...
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Wonderful to see this project published! We were glad to contribute a small part to this impressive collaborative effort through ECoBird.
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Dr Lucy Mitchell @lucyjmitchell.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
@ecobird.bsky.social
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Reposted by Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds
Dr Lucy Mitchell @lucyjmitchell.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Congratulations @alixkristiansen.bsky.social on your first paper from your PhD - it's out! @ecobird.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
journals.plos.org
Home range and activity budget in the Falkland Steamer Duck (Tachyeres brachypterus)
The Falkland Islands support globally important populations of seabirds and coastal birds, underscoring their value for international conservation efforts. However, substantial knowledge gaps impede t...
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
🚨 Calling researchers, students, technicians in cognition 🚨 We’re running a 10-min anonymous survey on how animal cognition is defined and studied across disciplines (from ecology, ethology, psychology, neurology, etc). 🧠✨ Scan the QR code & share widely #AnimalCognition #ResearchSurvey #Science
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Charlène Gémard @charlenegemard.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
🚨 Calling researchers, students, technicians in cognition 🚨 We’re running a 10-min anonymous survey on how animal cognition is defined and studied across disciplines (from ecology, ethology, psychology, neurology, etc). 🧠✨ Scan the QR code & share widely #AnimalCognition #ResearchSurvey #Science
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INBO (Research Institute for Nature and Forest) @inbo.be · 10/09/2025
Voortaan dr. Charlotte Van Driessche verdedigde vrijdag met succes haar doctoraat ‘Implementation of eDNA metabarcoding as an innovative tool for biomonitoring fish communities in lotic waters’, met @universiteitgent.bsky.social en @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social. Beluister 📻 bit.ly/PhDCharlotte
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Had an amazing week in Kolkata at #Behaviour2025! Very grateful for the opportunity to present my work 🐥 Also super glad I got to explore the city and see some of it's wildlife, and to chat cool science with so many nice people!
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BirdLife Europe & Central Asia @birdlifeeurope.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
🔥Wildfire tragedy in Portugal The Cinereous Vultures (𝐴𝑒𝑔𝑦𝑝𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑠) need our help. A massive wildfire destroyed not only their nests, but also the breeding and acclimatisation centre in Douro International Nature Park in the North of Portugal. #birds #wildfire 📸Yves Adams
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Dr Lucy Mitchell @lucyjmitchell.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
We had 4 talks, and two posters so great representation of @ecobird.bsky.social from Ghent University.
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Dr Lucy Mitchell @lucyjmitchell.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Successful @ecobird.bsky.social #EOU2025 trip. Great presentations by @cesarepacioni.bsky.social, Jolien Van Malderen, Caoimhe Abdul-Wahab, Mélibée Morel and me! Well done team 👏 Loads of fun, and surprisingly good Welsh weather 😇
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Cesare Pacioni @cesarepacioni.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
@ecobird.bsky.social at #EOU2025 🐦 Looking forward to sharing our work and connecting with the European ornithology community Caoimhe Abdul-Wahab | Poster S1 @lucyjmitchell.bsky.social | Symp 11 Mélibée Morel | Oral 17 @cesarepacioni.bsky.social | Oral 8 Jolien Van Malderen | Symp 2 & Poster S1
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Thomas Cansse @tcansse.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Happy to share my last PhD paper where we investigated the istopic niche of black-faced cormorants both for the breeding season and the non-breeding period. doi.org/10.1080/0158... #seabirds #ornithology
doi.org
Isotopic niche segregation during the non-breeding period in Black-faced Cormorants (Phalacrocorax fuscescens)
Due to environmental changes, prey distribution and availability are predicted to change. This is expected to impact their predators, especially in the highly dynamic and fast-changing marine envir...
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Alizée Vernouillet @vernouilleta.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
New paper out! To Peck or Not To Peck: The influence of early-life social environment on response inhibition and impulsive aggression in Japanese quails royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org
To peck or not to peck: the influence of early-life social environment on response inhibition and impulsive aggression in Japanese quails | Royal Society Open Science
Deficits in response inhibition (RI; i.e. the ability to suppress inappropriate responses) may contribute to increased impulsive aggression (IA; i.e. unplanned behaviours that harm others). Since earl...
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
It forms part of an exciting Special Issue of Phil Trans, "Selection shapes diverse animal minds", edited by @ellileadbeater.bsky.social & @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social Co-authors include @ecobird.bsky.social @samellisq.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Vol 380, No 1929
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
The survival of the smartest? Assessing how cognition shapes fitness in animals. A really fun collaboration to be part of—thread below! 👇
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Birgit Szabo, PhD 🦎🐸🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @birgitszabo.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Proud to share our newest gecko paper published @ecol-evol.bsky.social! We raised geckos either with or without their parents and found some effects on the development of behaviour and cognition! Read the rest here: doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
New paper led by @anneleendewulf.bsky.social out now! 👇🎊
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
Nice to see more media attention for this paper 📰🥳 www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/ar...
bbc.co.uk
Gulls not so gutsy when they're alone, Ghent study suggests
New research suggests gulls are more likely to take risks when they're in a group compared to when alone.
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Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 23/05/2025
This new #RSOS paper looks at neophobia across social contexts in juvenile herring #gulls. Read more: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... @ecobird.bsky.social‬
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
This work has also made it to the news 📰 📢 www.independent.co.uk/news/science... 📢 www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...
independent.co.uk
Seagulls will only steal your lunch when in a flock, scientists find
New research suggests your chips may be safe if faced with a lone seagull
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
🚨New Paper Out!🚨 We found that juvenile herring gulls in groups were less neophobic (quicker to eat & spent more time near novel objects) than individuals tested alone🤝 🎉 Read the preregistered report, led by Sophia Knoch & Reinoud Allaert, here: doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
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Cesare Pacioni @cesarepacioni.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
A great @ecobird.bsky.social team building day at the Zwin Natuur Park in Knokke-Heist 🐦
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Nice day out with the @ecobird.bsky.social team! saw some birds, ate some snacks & embarrassed myself in some beach games 🥐🦆⛱️
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Vitor H. B. Ferreira @vitorhbf.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Thanks to the @ecobird.bsky.social team for the warm welcome these past two days! I really enjoyed sharing ideas, learning about their work on chickens and quail, and having great conversations. Hoping for fruitful collaborations in the future! @katywillcox.bsky.social @birgitszabo.bsky.social
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Charlène Gémard @charlenegemard.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Data from detection reaction systems on turbines provide a unique opportunity to study bird behavior in wind energy facilities. To learn more, check out our recent work in @jappliedecology.bsky.social 👇
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Towards a better understanding of avian collision in wind energy facilities using automatic detection systems
Data from automatic detection systems are a promising non-invasive approach that requires few human and logistical resources to develop a more comprehensive bird collision risk mitigation strategy. T....
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Birgit Szabo, PhD 🦎🐸🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @birgitszabo.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
I am very proud to share our new gecko research! We wanted to know if experimenter identity influences gecko behaviour during experiments that increases error of behavioural measurements. The answer is yes, identity matters but only in a familiar context! OA paper: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
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Frederick Verbruggen @fredverb.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of sharing ECoBird’s research with filmmakers and producers at DOCVILLE’s Science Pitch. Regardless of the competition’s outcome, it was a genuinely enjoyable experience—and great to see how much interest there is in birds! 🐦🎬 @ecobird.bsky.social #DOCVILLE
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Frederick Verbruggen @fredverb.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
New paper in press! 🐎🏁 "What We Can Learn from Horse Races: Response Inhibition Across Species" 📄 doi: doi.org/10.31219/osf... In this paper, I argue for applying frameworks like the horse race model to study response inhibition in animals.
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Comparative Cognition Society @compcogsoc.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
@AnneleenDewulf presents her talk discussing a two-stage model of #MotorInhibition in Herring Gulls where results showed that in most trials birds paused or slowed down in response to the stop signal which supports a two-stage model of stopping! #CO3_2025 🧪🥼🔬
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Big news: the quails for our new pilot study have hatched! 🐣At just two days old, they’re already mastering the art of social bonding—because nothing brings young tiny quails together like the cozy warmth of an electric hen.
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Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
@tcansse.bsky.social wrote a blog post for Seabird Tracking, discussing his latest research on Black-faced Cormorants: www.seabirdtracking.org/foraging-eff... #seabirds #ornithology
seabirdtracking.org
Foraging efficiency related to site fidelity in Black-faced Cormorants - Seabird Tracking Database
Black-faced Cormorants (Phalacrocorax fuscescens) are endemic to Australia and only breed in a limited number of locations, often on offshore islands. Until
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Camille Troisi @camilletroisi.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
⭐New paper out on great tits' social behaviour⭐ We manipulated food access & stability of social interactions at feeders (small-scale) to investigate their effects on individual-level social network position & dyadic assoc. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... (birds handled with required permits)
Great tit being held in hand after capture
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Alcides Fonseca @handle.invalid · 08/02/2025
Are you wrapping up your PhD in the US and unsure what to do? We have a really nice postdoc funding program in the EU: marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/post...
marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu
Postdoctoral Fellowships
The information provided on this page is a summary of the main rules and requirements for Postdoctoral Fellowships (PFs) and who can apply for them.
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INBO (Research Institute for Nature and Forest) @inbo.be · 13/01/2025
Onze @peterdesmet.bsky.social schreef mee aan artikel in @natureecoevo.bsky.social dat pleit voor standaardisatie en archivering van biologging-data. Met @oscibio.bsky.social is het @inbo.bsky.social hier pioneer in: onze data voor vogels en vissen zijn publiek beschikbaar. rdcu.be/d5ptG
rdcu.be
Establishing bio-logging data collections as dynamic archives of animal life on Earth
Nature Ecology & Evolution - Animal-borne electronic tags, or bio-loggers, are increasingly used for research and wildlife conservation. This Perspective discusses the importance of...
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