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Katy Willcox, PhD

@katywillcox.bsky.social
892 followers 887 following 33 posts

Kathryn (Katy) Willcox | PhD @ecobird.bsky.social social environments <-> behaviour and cognition🐥🐦🦦🐝 ❤️ welfare & outreach, also 🎶🎨🎮🎲👩‍🍳🌿 | she/her

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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
Debottam Bhattacharjee @debottam1991.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Join us for your bachelor or master projects on Japanese macaque affect & cognition at the Affenberg Research Station in Austria. Details in the photo 👇 Write to us: affenberg.lewi@univie.ac.at / debottam.bhattacharjee@uni-goettingen.de Project abstract link: gepris.dfg.de/project/5630...
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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
Camille Troisi @camilletroisi.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Super mega stocked to share this ⭐new review ⭐ on the impact of urbanisation on social learning. tinyurl.com/2pt6s6zs
tinyurl.com
Client Challenge
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Claudia Wascher @wascherclaudia.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I'm so excited to finally see the special issue "Addressing Biases in Animal Behaviour" fully published: www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu.... Huge thanks to my brilliant co-editors @viveknityananda.bsky.social & @nicolakoyama.bsky.social. Special issue grew from @asab.org's 2024 Winter Meeting 🧵
sciencedirect.com
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Animal Behaviour Collective @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Our latest microgrant funding round is open now! 📢 Below is a reminder of what we do and don't fund. This round closes October 30th! Want to help us support students? Please spread the word, and donate if you can! For more informaition and to apply: opencollective.com/animal-behaviour-collective
We do fund students' personal costs. For example: transport to uni, living costs and personal equipment. We don't fund research costs, for example: lab equipment and services, research permits and conference fees.
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Animal Behaviour Collective @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Fantastic to see ABC mentor @williamohearn.bsky.social and his former mentee @giuliaseverino.bsky.social at @ecbb2026.bsky.social! Huge congratulations to Giulia for winning the #ECBB2026 Best Early Career Primate Presentation Prize! 👏🐒 Follow us to hear about our next mentorship-matching events 🤝
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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
Awani @awanib.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Got caught by surprise with the award! Thank you @ecbb2026.bsky.social !! Forgot to take a photo of my poster, but here's a glimpse of it featuring the showstopper Paul. ✨😁
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Sofia Forss @sofiaforss.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Growing up demands the right cognitive toolkit at the right time 🧠 We show cognitive development over key life transitions from ontogeny to adulthood in wild meerkats. 🚨 Read our new findings👇🏼 doi.org/10.1098/rspb... Great Thanks to @royalsocietypublishing.org @templetonworld.bsky.social @snsf.ch
doi.org
Cognitive abilities show distinct developmental trajectories in wild meerkats
Abstract. Understanding cognitive development is fundamental for explaining variation in adult cognitive phenotypes, and thus the processes driving cogniti
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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
Animal Behaviour Collective @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Thank you to the organisers of @ecbb2026.bsky.social for allowing us to spread the word about our microgrants & mentorship at their brilliant, inclusive conference! #ECBB2026 Our next migrogrant funding round opens this month! Save the date 🗓️
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
@vernouilleta.bsky.social & Elias Garcia-Pelegrin put together such an interesting and varied symposium on Social Cognition in a Human World #ECBB2026 🌍🐤
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European Conference on Behavioural Biology @ecbb2026.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
How can we improve the study of lizard cognition? @birgitszabo.bsky.social opens with first explaining why we study lizard cognition!
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Had such a fun week at @ecbb2026.bsky.social !! Lots of exciting talks and so many lovely and inspiring people. Very grateful to the organisers & to ASAB for my travel grant! 🐤 #ecbb2026
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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
Vitor H. B. Ferreira @vitorhbf.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Great few days at #ECBB2026 in Cambridge: great talks, great people, and plenty of ideas to bring home 🧠🐔 And, of course, I kept spreading the chicken agenda: they’re not just farm animals, but fascinating models for understanding behavior and cognition.
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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
European Conference on Behavioural Biology @ecbb2026.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
#ECBB2026 @vitorhbf.bsky.social closing out Symposium 10: Social cognition in a human world with his talk Humans as social partners? Experience and selection history shape responses in domestic chickens
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Cesare Pacioni @cesarepacioni.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
New paper out! 🎉 Common waxbills (Estrilda astrild) have spread far beyond their native African range, reaching cooler regions - so how do they cope when temperatures drop? doi.org/10.1016/j.cb... @ecobird.bsky.social
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Animal Behaviour Collective @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
We are thrilled to announce that this microgrant funding round we distributed ~£1300 to 7 recipients! 🎉 The next funding round opens September 21st! Learn more about how to donate or apply: opencollective.com/animal-behav...
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Animal Behaviour Collective @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Our paper is out now! 🎉📝 We describe how we work to address barriers faced by students and early-career researchs in the animal behaviour field, through our mentorships and microgrants. We hope that this can inspire and provide practical resources for others hoping to do the same!
sciencedirect.com
The animal behaviour collective: building confidence and breaking barriers through community
Despite increasing efforts to diversify the field of animal behaviour, systemic barriers continue to limit access and inclusion for researchers from h…
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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
Animal Behaviour Collective @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Keeping the Pride Spirit Alive! 🌈 Hope you all celebrated this past month! We’ve gathered some fascinating examples of queer behaviour in nature to share with you.
Happy Pride Month!Queer behaviour is common in nature. On the Hawaiian island of Oahu, 31% of Laysan albatross pairs were found to be female-female[1. In clownfish groups, when the dominant female dies, the next-in-line male changes sex to become leader[2]. Bonobos engage in frequent same-sex sexual interactions, which may facilitate cooperation[3]. Such behaviouR Was historically understudied due to anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.Diversity, inclusion & equity are vital for good science. At ABC we are proud to support and celebrate all LGBTQIA+ students & scientists!.
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Very grateful for my amazing jury!!
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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
Alizée Vernouillet @vernouilleta.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
A huge congratulations to newly-appointed Dr. Katy Willcox!!! @katywillcox.bsky.social 🍾🎉 For her thesis @ecobird.bsky.social, Katy evaluated the influence of early-life social environments on inhibition, aggression, & social networks in chickens & quails 🐥
Dr. Katy Willcox and a little chick looking at the cameraDr. Katy Willcox defending her thesis, with her slides decorated with chicken and quail chicks painted by her
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Excited to share that last week I successfully defended my PhD thesis 🎉 I am beyond grateful for everyone who has supported me on this journey, I couldn’t have done it alone! #PhDone
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Animal Behaviour Collective @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Our first round of ABC microgrants for 2026 is done, and for the first time, we were able to fund each and every eligible application! 🎉🎉🎉 We funded a total of 5 applications – this was made possible thanks to our generous donors! 🙏🏽
Announcement that ABC funded every single eligible microgrant application this Febreary.
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Birgit Szabo, PhD 🦎🐸🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @birgitszabo.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
📣 I am excited to share some new collaborative work published in Biology Letter @royalsocietypublishing.org on spatial learning and lateralisation in lizards 🦎! Check out the full OA paper here: doi.org/10.1098/rsbl... #AnimalCognition #ThinkLikeALizard
doi.org
Spatial learning and lateralization in lizards
Abstract. Spatial memory is a fundamental cognitive process that allows animals to navigate and interact with their environment effectively. While extensiv
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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
Camille Troisi @camilletroisi.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
In part 2 we apply this framework across three tasks, and test the performance of herring and lesser black-backed gulls in the detour task, the thwarting task (often used with fish) and the stop-change task (developed from the human cognition literature) 🐦 Part 2: rdcu.be/e2pyI 5/6
rdcu.be
Unpacking response Inhibition in animals – part 2: an empirical test
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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
Camille Troisi @camilletroisi.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
We explain how this framework applies to the main tasks used to measure response inhibition in the field of animal cognition Part 1: rdcu.be/e2pyN 4/6
rdcu.be
Unpacking response inhibition in animals – part 1: a conceptual framework
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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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Animal Behaviour Collective @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Let’s celebrate women and girls in science on this International Day of Women and Girls in Science! UNESCO reports that women represent only 35% of STEM graduates, about 1/3 of researchers worldwide, and just 1/10 STEM leaders.
ABC celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science
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Reposted by Katy Willcox, PhD
Animal Behaviour Collective @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Attention - the first round of microgrants for 2026 is running! Apply and read terms and conditions here : opencollective.com/animal-behav...
The first round of microgrants for 2026 is open! Apply here : https://opencollective.com/animal-behaviour-collective.
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Jordan S. Martin @jsmartin.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
I am looking for a PhD student to join my new Socio-Eco-Evo group, hosted in Katie Peichel's Evolutionary Ecology Division @ University of Bern. We're offering a fully funded 4-year position, studying social plasticity and behavioral adaptation among stickleback in Greenland. Please share around!
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British Ecological Society @britishecologicalsociety.org · 23/01/2026
Round 1 of our training and travel grant is open! Grants up to £500 are available to support the training and development of PhD students and postgraduate research assistants. Send us your application by 25 January ⏰
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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Perhaps the question is not whether cows can use tools, but why it took us so long to notice. Maybe because we continue to underestimate the minds of the animals we eat. Veronika is here to remind us of our biases
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Alizée Vernouillet @vernouilleta.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
There is still some time to submit for our Special Collection on social cognition and anthropogenic environments! We are looking forward to hear from you! link.springer.com/collections/... Please do get in touch if you have any questions. #openaccess #socialcognition
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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Cow Tools! We have lived alongside cows for nearly 10,000 years. We breed them and exploit them It is now, only now, that we have discovered THEY CAN USE TOOLS Here I describe our study (paper) www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... in @currentbiology.bsky.social with @auersperga.bsky.social
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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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Dr Lucy Mitchell @lucyjmitchell.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
New pre print out! Last chapter of my PhD looking at nightjar movement with environmental conditions. Super proud of this one, I love the interactions and thinking about what else we could do. www.authorea.com/users/101810...
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Mason Youngblood @masonyoungblood.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Proc B with @sampassmore.bsky.social! We used simulations to explore the innovation strategies of speed climbers 🧗‍♀️ Innovation is higher among slower athletes and lower when the population size is larger, and the overall balance of innovation and copying appears to be suboptimal 🔗 bit.ly/499QjZM
bit.ly
Simulation-based inference with deep learning suggests speed climbers combine innovation and copying to improve performance
Abstract. In the Olympic sport of speed climbing, athletes compete to reach the top of a 15 m wall as quickly as possible. Since the standardization of the
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Awani @awanib.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
✨New paper✨ How do juvenile ravens find social groups? We describe how juvenile common ravens, who have left their natal territories seeking to join non-breeder flocks, use space with respect to other birds, and discuss what this means for social integration. www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Had a nice break seeing friends, family, and (most importantly) Tabitha
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Birds on the Move @birdsmove.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
📢📢PhD opportunity! We are looking for enthusiastic researchers to develop a project looking at the ontogeny of migratory behaviour! Deadline for expression of interest: 8 February 2026 👉Check details here: drive.google.com/file/d/1wow2... #migration #ornithology #GPStracking
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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
A male rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) in winter plumage. Ptarmigan is from Gaelic 'tarmachan' meaning "croaker". The p- was added when people mistakenly assumed it was a Greek word. A bird forever warning people: "A werewolf!" (just in case of werewolves).
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Claudia Wascher @wascherclaudia.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Hope 😍
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Christmas came early, my "big chicken paper" has been accepted 🎉 very grateful to everyone involved and looking forward to sharing it soon
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Colin Yeo @colinyeo.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Tighter visa rules will cost UK up to £10.8bn giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
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Amy Leedale @amyleedale.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
JOB ALERT! 🦜🔭🌿 Are you passionate about #Birds, #Ecology, #Fieldwork, #Research? The University of Salford is looking for a #ResearchTechnician to assist with ecological monitoring of #Ringneckedparakeets in Manchester, UK. More info & how to apply 👇 Hurry! Closes 15 Dec @salforduni.bsky.social
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Katy Willcox, PhD @katywillcox.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Today in end-of-phd-brain: had a hyper-realistic dream where I came up with some great research ideas for an animal that, unfortunately, only existed in that dream
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Ninargh 🐈‍⬛ 🎃 👻 @ninawils.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Relatable Corvid
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Alice Risely @alice-risely.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Love looking through all the submissions on the Gulls Eating Stuff project website. Getting pretty good coverage of the UK too! If you have photos of gulls eating stuff, you can submit them at citsci.org/projects/gul.... Thanks to @scistarter.bsky.social for promoting the project too :).
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Animal Behaviour Collective @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
This #GivingTuesday please consider donating to @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social to support undergraduate students globally!! 🫶🗺️ Help us make #animalbehaviourresearch more inclusive 🐝🐝🐝 Sign up to be a monthly donor, or make a one time contribution using this link opencollective.com/animal-behav...
opencollective.com
Animal Behaviour Collective - Open Collective
We are a collective of animal behaviour researchers organising microgrants and mentorship for undergraduate & graduate students in animal behaviour.
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Martin Whiting @lizardlab.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
A huge congrats to Dr Jai Lake! Jai just gave his exit seminar at Macquarie on why lizards are social. To be slightly more precise, his PhD was about the mechanisms underlying sociality. Papers are submitted and in prep! Watch this space. Jai was cosupervised by Geoff While at Univ. Tasmania.
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