iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

✍️New blog post! Resist the Urge to Leave a Comment jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/09/21/r... Last week, one of my LinkedIn-posts drew a lot of attention, including several comments by people I don't know. This made me wonder: why can’t people resist the urge to share their opinion online?

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Currently reading "Questioning the Millennium" by Stephen Jay Gould. Quite different from his essays on evolutionary biology, but still an interesting read.

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

✍ New blog post! Reading Helps Your Brain Connect the Dots jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/09/14/r... A short reflection on the importance of reading widely. Fill your brain with more dots and develop the experience to connect them.

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The statistics course "Ecological Methods" is running again. Every year, I supply some memes related to the course content. Today we discussed model selection...

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Face to face with a woolly rhinoceros at the Natuurmuseum Brabant in Tilburg. 😃

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I just finished grading my 50th internship student! 🎓 And a nice coincidence. This student worked on Barnacle Geese. My own PhD research (more than 10 years ago...) focused on the evolution of these wonderful birds. 😅 Here’s to the next 50! 🪿

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

🚨New paper in Biology Letters! 🥳 Hybridization events in Squamata support the viviparity-driven conflict hypothesis royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... Based on the MSc thesis of David Broek. Hybridization is also interesting in other taxonomic groups, not just birds. 😉

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

🥳 New paper out in the Journal of Biogeography! I am excited to share the first PhD chapter from Zhichang Cheng, who I co-supervise with Fred de Boer. Habitat and Thermal Breadth Shape Climate-Driven Range Shifts in Arctic Birds onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

My reading spot for today. Nice and cool beneath the trees. 😃📚🌳

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Just received the reviews for a manuscript, based on a MSc thesis. Apparently, reviewer #3 did not do his/her homework. 😂

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

✍️New blog post! (Almost) Everything Is Worth Publishing jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/07/01/a... Although everything is worth publishing, it also depends on your career stage which tends to follow an “impact factor curve”. As a fun exercise, I tracked the impact factors of my own work. 🤓

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

When it is too cold, I stay inside to read. ❄️ When it is too rainy, I stay inside to read. 🌧️ When it is too hot, I stay inside to read. 🔆 So, this tropical weekend is the perfect excuse to ... stay inside and read. 😀📚 Next book on the reading list: "Persian Fire" by Tom Holland.

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

🥳New paper in Avian Research Biology! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... 🦉 Hybridization in owls is rare, involving ca. 8% of species. Captive hybrids span more morphologically distinct species than natural hybrids, while similar iris coloration may maintain premating isolation. #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

✍️New blog post! “If You Have a Garden and a Library, You Have Everything You Need” jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/06/23/i... If you could truly choose how to spend your time, what would fill your days? For me, the answer is simple: reading, writing, and walking in nature.

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Just submitted the revision of my paper on hybridization in owls! Fingers crossed 😀🤞 #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Guess what I will be doing the coming days... 😏 Reading "The Story of Birds" by @stevebrusatte.bsky.social, of course! 🤩 I really enjoyed his previous books (on the evolution of dinosaurs and mammals). Looking forward to learn more about the early history of birds. #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

A nice surprise in my mailbox today! The latest edition of Emu, which includes my paper on ratite hybridization. 😍 You can read the paper online here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

This morning, three of "my" BSc thesis students presented their work. A nice mixture of topics: - Hybridization in Galliformes - The impact of African elephants on meso-herbivores - Migration of White Wagtails Great to see what they learned during their thesis. And I hope they enjoyed the process.😀

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

✍ New blog post! The Death of Expertise in the Age of AI and the Attention Economy jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/05/14/t...

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

My latest Digest for Evolution is now available online! @sse-evolution.bsky.social Digest: Evidence for incipient hybrid speciation in the Black-cheeked Gnateater academic.oup.com/evolut/advan... #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

🥳 New paper in Ornithological Applications! @amornith.bsky.social Research and conservation priorities for domesticated birds’ wild counterparts academic.oup.com/condor/advan... A wonderful collaboration with @willjsmith.bsky.social, Philip Lavrestsky and Eben Gering. #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

No teaching duties for the coming weeks + a well-deserved holiday. Time to dive into this book: "The Origins of Genome Architecture" by Michael Lynch. 😀📚

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

🥳New paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Cotinga communication constrained: body size and lekking behaviour influence cotinga song (Aves: Cotingidae) doi.org/10.1098/rspb... #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Funny coincidence. 😅 I just started reading "Fatherland" by Robert Harris (a novel in which Germany has won WW2). Today is Tuesday 14 April. And the first part of the book starts on Tuesday 14 April...

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

My latest Digest for Evolution is now available online. One of my favorite pieces to write. 😉 Digest: Chance and necessity shape introgression patterns across three replicate avian hybrid zones academic.oup.com/evolut/advan... #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

This figure... 😅 ENHYDROSS: A New Mechanistic Model Supports the Trans-Oceanic Dispersal Capability of Terrestrial Vertebrates | Ecology and Evolution onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

The result of exploring second-hand bookstores in Leiden. 😊📚 I recently started collecting books by Wilbur Smith and Robert Harris (as you might have guessed from the picture...).

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

🚨New paper out in Oryx! Bali starlings and the journey towards happiness: introduction and breeding in the Besikalung Wildlife Sanctuary, Bali, Indonesia www.cambridge.org/core/journal... #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Deze week was een meteoroïde als een vuurbal te zien in Vlaanderen. De "wetenschapsexpert" (zie verdere frustratie over deze term hieronder) van roddelkrant @hln.be wijdde er meteen een alarmistisch clickbait-artikel aan. Alles voor de clicks. Sensatie boven inhoud. 🙄

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

My latest game: Whack-a-Reviewer! jenteottie.github.io/Whack-a-Revi... Vent your frustration at reviewer #2 and get your paper accepted. 😉 Made using vibe-coding in Claude.

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

And another #ornithology game: Green Wave-surfing Geese jenteottie.github.io/GreenWave/ Pick your favorite goose species and help them migrate north. Stay within the green corridor 🌿 while firing poop 💩 at eagles and hunters. 😅 Created through vibe-coding with Claude.

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Presenting my newest #ornithology game: Ratite Runner! 😀 jenteottie.github.io/RatiteRunner/ Pick your favorite flightless bird, use the power-ups wisely and avoid the obstacles. Enjoy!

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

I bought the Dutch version of this book for my niece, but started exploring it myself. Wonderful illustrations with short, informative texts about all kinds of prehistoric organisms. Reminds me why I became an evolutionary biologist... 🥲

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Recently, I was interviewed by the French magazine Epsiloon about recent developments in hybridization research. The resulting piece brings together a wide range of researchers working on hybridization across different systems. Wonderful! 🥳 #ornithology #scicomm

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Introducing the Slow Professor game! jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/03/02/i... This side-project grew out of ongoing conversations about workload, stress, and the sustainability of academic careers. So, I created a simulator that allows you to experiment with different academic strategies.

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Next book on the reading list: "The Eagle and The Lion: Rome, Persia, and an Unwinnable Conflict" by Adrian Goldsworthy 🤓📚

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

I am currently looking into owl hybrids, which involves diving into some grey literature. Look at this wonderful family: Eurasian Eagle-owl, Great Horned Owl and their offspring. 😀 © Risdon (1951) Avicultural Magazine #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Starting the week with an unexpected milestone. My Avian Hybrids website has been visited more than 500,000 times. 🤩 avianhybrids.wordpress.com Although I don't really care about these statistics, it is nice to see some attention for avian hybridization and other #ornithology topics.

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

The only useful influencer is a "binfluencer". 😅

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

I hurt my ankle. So, I cannot go for long walks during the weekend. 😑 A good excuse to do some more reading.📚 I just finished "The Serengeti Rules" by Sean B. Carroll. A nice overview of molecular and ecological mechanisms, such as negative feedback and cascading effects.

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Time for my yearly overview of the best books I read in 2025. 😃📚 - The Genetic Book of the Dead (Richard Dawkins) - Behave (Robert Sapolsky) - Birds, Sex & Beauty (Matt Ridley) - Lord of the Flies (Aimée de Jongh) Complete overview on Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/year_in...

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Next book on the reading list "The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin. I have explored several chapters (especially the one on Hybridism), but I never read this classic cover to cover. Time to change that! 😀📚

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

🥳 New paper in Emu - Austral Ornithology! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... In this study, I review the available evidence for hybridization in ratites. Most cases are linked to human activities, suggesting that natural hybridization among ratites is exceptionally rare. #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Next book on the reading list: "Song of the North Wind" by Paul A. Johnsgard. A little book about snow geese. 📚😀 #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Next book on the reading list. Exploring a history of ecological ideas. 🤓📚

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Do you also have a "To Read" folder that’s basically a black hole? 🕳️ My new blog post explores why that’s okay. And how to orbit the black hole instead of getting sucked in. You’ll Never Keep Up with the Scientific Literature (and That’s Okay) jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/10/28/y...

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

🥳 My latest digest for Evolution is now available online! Digest: Postzygotic isolation barriers stabilize a hybrid zone between two grosbeak species academic.oup.com/evolut/advan... Original paper: academic.oup.com/evolut/advan... #ornithology

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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

✍ New blog post! Avoiding Negativity Bias in the Digital Age jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/10/06/a... Why do a few negative comments stick more than a hundred positive ones? That is negativity bias. I wrote a blog post about how it plays out on social media and what helps me deal with it.

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