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Mandy Ridley

@mandyridley.bsky.social
84 followers 49 following 34 posts

Behavioural Ecologist with a special focus on cooperation, cognition, vocal communication, and behavioural responses to climate change Webpage: www.babbler-research.com

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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
The latest pied babbler paper, headed by the amazing Shannon Conradie, looks at how the accuracy of biophysical models, increasingly used to predict climate change response, can be improved with even a modest amount of behavioural observations besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Targeted behavioural and microclimate data collection substantially improves biophysical model predictions of energy expenditure in wild birds
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Thanks @cedricboeckx.bsky.social ! @stephaniellaura.bsky.social did an amazing job with a complex dataset!
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Congrats to Ed for completing the final part of his excellent PhD: his exit seminar! Well done Ed for all your hard work and achievements over the last four years of research! 🥳🎉🎓
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Congrats to @gblackburn.bsky.social for this study showing that’s it’s not just anthropogenic noise, but the level (amplitude) of anthropogenic noise that is important, in terms of impact on behaviour.
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Congrats to Ed Galluccio on the first paper from his PhD, showing that associative learning score is related to the antipredator response and associative learning score declines under heat stress. However, heat stress does not impact the cognition-antipredator relationship.
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Congrats to @alexalaman.bsky.social for leading this paper using 38 years of data to investigate climate impacts on survival & reprod success of Arabian babblers in natural vs modified habitat. We found modified habitats buffered climate impacts: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Coping with change: Interactive effects of anthropogenic change influence the breeding success and survival of a desert‐dwelling cooperative breeder
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
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Mylène Dutour @dutourmylene.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Hot birds, tricky math! Our new paper shows that high temperatures impair quantity discrimination in wild great tits. @gblackburn.bsky.social, @camillasoravia.bsky.social, and @mandyridley.bsky.social academic.oup.com/beheco/advan...
academic.oup.com
High temperatures inhibit quantity discrimination of conspecifics in a wild bird
Many species benefit from the ability to discern the number of individuals calling in an anti-predator mobbing event, as more individuals likely reduces th
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Reposted by Mandy Ridley
Grace Blackburn @gblackburn.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
🚨New paper alert 🚨 High temperatures lead to an impaired anti-predator mobbing response to five callers in wild great tits! Loved working on this paper with an all star team of scientists! @dutourmylene.bsky.social @camillasoravia.bsky.social @mandyridley.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/behe...
doi.org
High temperatures inhibit quantity discrimination of conspecifics in a wild bird
Many species benefit from the ability to discern the number of individuals calling in an anti-predator mobbing event, as more individuals likely reduces th
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Congrats to @stephaniellaura.bsky.social, who headed our latest research showing that social interactions have a major influence on the development of the complex call sequences that young magpies learn! As well as the below paper link, here is the media release: www.uwa.edu.au/news/article...
uwa.edu.au
Young magpies learn complex sentences just like humans
Young magpies learn how to create complex calls in much the same way human children learn to turn sounds into words and words into sentences.
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Our review of the impact of multiple anthropogenic stressors on avian behaviour and cognition was the most downloaded paper in the Journal of Avian Biology 2025! @camillasoravia.bsky.social @gblackburn.bsky.social
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
So happy to see this come to print after life took over & there was a delay btw data collection and writing up! We conduct an experimental test of central place foraging theory & ask how provisioning/distance trade-offs might differ in a cooperative breeder. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
An Experimental Test of Central Place Foraging Theory in a Cooperatively Breeding Bird
This study experimentally investigated central place foraging theory in a cooperatively breeding bird, the Southern Pied Babbler. We found that while birds were more likely to provision when given fo...
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
An important ontogenetic perspective into the relationship between cognition and social interactions! Congrats @lizziespeechley.bsky.social! With collaborators @stephanielking.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social Ben Ashton, Alex Thornton and Leigh Simmons
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
New paper alert! By tracking fledglings through development we found evidence that cognitive development is related to social interactions: this extends our research on adult magpie cognition. See below for an overview of all papers from @lizziespeechley.bsky.social’s excellent research thesis 👇🏻👇🏻
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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
New amazing open Postdoc position, w/t opportunities to 1) get closely involved in our next @themanybirds.bsky.social study on innovation and problem-solving; 2) work with @ecobird.bsky.social on avian innovation, cognition & invasiveness. Advert: www.ugent.be/en/work/scie...
ugent.be
Postdoctoral fellow
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
New paper out in PLoS Biology! A large international collaboration from the ManyBirds project, looking at variation in neophobia across a wide range of avian species globally. Delighted that the magpies were part of this large and diverse dataset!
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Our new paper is out! @camillasoravia.bsky.social leads this research, which looks into the relationship between heat- mediated cognitive impairment and the antipredator response in wild pied babblers. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Investigating the relationship between heat-mediated cognitive impairment and antipredator response in a wild bird | Royal Society Open Science
Increasingly frequent heatwaves require animals to spend more time thermoregulating at the expense of other fitness-related behaviours. Emerging evidence also indicates that high temperatures can impa...
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Congrats to @avantikadeep.bsky.social on presenting her research plans for studying the causes and consequences of intrasexual selection in magpies at #AES2025!
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Renée Claire Firman @pebblemouse.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Avantika Sharma showcasing her plans for her PhD on intrasexual selection in magpies at #AES2025. Great work Avantika! @mandyridley.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social
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Centre for Evolutionary Biology at UWA @ceb-uwa.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
#AES2025 started with a blast with @brainiants.bsky.social talking about the effect of inbreeding on survivorship and fecundity in European royal families! Keep them coming @pebblemouse.bsky.social
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Congrats to Kim @brainiants.bsky.social on her talk at #AES2025! Kim’s research into inbreeding in European royals looked at the effect on reproductive success, offspring survival and fertility. Manuscript to be submitted soon: watch this space!
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
@dutourmylene.bsky.social ‘s talk was wonderful, so great to see her back in Perth again!
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Congrats to @avantikadeep.bsky.social for presenting her PhD research plans on intrasexual competition in group-living magpies!
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Congrats to Lakshani for presenting her research plan on coalitions in toque macaques for her PhD!
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Congrats to @stephaniellaura.bsky.social for winning an award for her excellent poster on her PhD research!
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Super proud of PhD student @stephaniellaura.bsky.social at her exit seminar: she took us through a comprehensive journey of investigation and unveiled some truly fascinating results, only achievable through her exceptional hard work and attention to detail. Congrats Steph!
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Congrats @stephaniellaura.bsky.social for doing amazing PhD research on the ontogeny of magpie communication!
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Our new cognition paper is out, headed by @gblackburn.bsky.social, and one of the last chapters from her exceptional PhD thesis!
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British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) @bou.org.uk · 10/06/2025
EARLY VIEW in IBIS Western Australian Magpies alter the rate, but not the amplitude, of their territorial song in anthropogenic noise | onlinelibrary.wiley.... Grace Blackburn, Mylene Dutour, Benjamin J. Ashton, Alex Thornton, Amanda R. Ridley | #ornithology 🪶
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Our new paper, led by @gblackburn.bsky.social, finds a very sharp decline in the rate of carol calls (the main territorial call) given by magpies during anthropogenic noise, but no change in the amplitude. @dutourmylene.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Western Australian Magpies alter the rate, but not the amplitude, of their territorial song in anthropogenic noise
Anthropogenic noise is considered one of the most serious forms of pollution globally and has been shown to have negative effects on the distribution, behaviour, cognition and reproductive success of...
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Our new paper, led by Masters student Holly, finds that magpies are capable of quantity discrimination, and this ability is affected by group size.
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Centre for Evolutionary Biology at UWA @ceb-uwa.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
@brainiants.bsky.social discussed her PhD proposal this afternoon where she plans to study variation in intraspecific cognition & its relation to complex behaviors, specifically combat and group foraging in Western Australian ants. 🐜 @mandyridley.bsky.social @notthebestsam.bsky.social #LeighSimmons
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Pauline Grierson @pfgblue.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Job opportunity for #Fire #scientists in Western Australia closing soon - 25 April! Permanent fire-science research position Research Scientist /Senior Research Scientist (Fire Science) position. search.jobs.wa.gov.au/page.php?pag...
search.jobs.wa.gov.au
WA Government Jobs | Research Scientist or Senior Research Scientist (Fire Science)
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
x.com/nicholaswunz...
x.com
Nicholas Wu on X: "🚨 Lecturer in Animal Behaviour position @waikato. Fantastic opportunity for someone passionate about teaching & research in animal behaviour, preferably on birds, amphibians, reptiles or bats. 📍 Hamilton, NZ Closes: 4th May 2025 🔗 https://t.co/UpGAwVwZD7 https://t.co/ufyr9C6rgo" / X
🚨 Lecturer in Animal Behaviour position @waikato. Fantastic opportunity for someone passionate about teaching & research in animal behaviour, preferably on birds, amphibians, reptiles or bats. 📍 Hamilton, NZ Closes: 4th May 2025 🔗 https://t.co/UpGAwVwZD7 https://t.co/ufyr9C6rgo
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
@gblackburn.bsky.social & I recently wrote this piece in Nature Climate Change about the potential conservation implications of climate-induced divergence of song. This may occur more often under a rapidly changing climate & cause greater isolation between popns. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Climate-induced divergence of song - Nature Climate Change
Vocal communication is essential for information transmission in many species, such as that related to mating opportunities or predator presence. Recent research revealing how phenotypic changes broug...
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Mandy Ridley @mandyridley.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Gorgeous night skies to accompany us last night on a woylie capture-tag-release trip. Wonderful to see so many woylies hopping out in the predator-proofed reserve so close to Perth!
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