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PEC Exeter

@pec-exeter.bsky.social
662 followers 114 following 66 posts

Working on: the consequences of release and management of gamebirds; the evolution of cognition, using the genius of the bird world - pheasants; and occasionally messing with chickens, ravens, beavers and moths. Tweets by Jo Madden

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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
So much support from the animal behaviour research community, and many others, who have signed this letter. Thank you. Your care, concern and kind words at this time provides such encouragement.
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Behaviour 2027 @behaviour2027.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
We are excited to announce that #Behaviour2027 (XXXIX International Ethological Congress) will be taking place in Vienna, Austria! We are looking forward to having you all join us next year from August 23-27. Please follow and share!
Logo of a gosling looking up at a bee on its beak. "Behaviour" underneath.
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ASAB @asab.org · 09/07/2026
It's official: #Behaviour2027 is happening in Vienna next summer!
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Lindsey Shultz @lshultz82.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Rating Bowers like Kandinsky paintings yes I will thanks.
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
And now for something completely different RATE MY BOWER! A 10 min survey about what you think looks nice. Link in post below Please repost!
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Tom Cameron @ecoevoenviro.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
NEW PAPER - Exploring sources of uncertainty in the estimate of waterfowl harvest - uncertainty matters but also helps us learn and start adaptive decision making #ecology #birds doi.org/10.1002/wlb3...
doi.org
Exploring sources of uncertainty in the estimate of waterfowl harvest in the United Kingdom
There is an urgent need to gather data on harvest rates of waterbirds in Europe to assess the sustainability of hunting. Estimates of total waterbird harvest in the United Kingdom (UK) and the relati...
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Are bowers artwork? 🖼️ Do we (humans) like the same bower designs that the choosy females like? Please fill in this short survey asking you to "RATE MY BOWER" No expertise needed. We just want your aesthetic judgment🎨🖌️ exe.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... Takes <10 mins
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Tom Cameron @ecoevoenviro.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
NEW PUBLICATION on Bird 🦆 Hunting 🔫. Huge piece of work from across @universityofessex.bsky.social @uniexecec.bsky.social Adonis Blue - #ecological impacts of #recreational #hunting in protected areas - recommendations for evidence led #regulation publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/...
Title page of reportHen mallard harvested by coastal wildfowler - scene is estuary Image credit T.Cameron (welcome to use)
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LyrebirdLab @lyrebirdlab.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Funded #PhD scholarship: Vocal mimicry in toothbilled bowerbirds @westsyduhie.bsky.social with @animalecolab.bsky.social @drbackhouse.bsky.social @pec-exeter.bsky.social Closes: 31 July 2026 More info tinyurl.com/2axjy7pn
Lithograph of the Tooth-billed Bowerbird
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LyrebirdLab @lyrebirdlab.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Funded #PhD scholarship: Vocal mimicry in toothbilled bowerbirds @westsyduhie.bsky.social with @animalecolab.bsky.social @drbackhouse.bsky.social @pec-exeter.bsky.social Closes: 31 May 2026 More info tinyurl.com/2axjy7pn
Lithograph of the Tooth-billed Bowerbird
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
What are the ecological effects of releasing and managing mallard ducks for hunting? Our new OA paper with @ecoevoenviro.bsky.social authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S... What did we find? A short 🧵
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
What are the ecological effects of releasing and managing mallard ducks for hunting? Our new OA paper with @ecoevoenviro.bsky.social authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S... What did we find? A short 🧵
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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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Eamonn Wooster @predator-smarts.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
I'm recruiting a PhD student to study how predation shapes animal cognition and the conservation opportunities of animal cognition. Lots of fun field work in beautiful places : ) Please share !! www.eifwooster.org/opportunities
eifwooster.org
Opportunities — Eamonn I.F Wooster
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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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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Almost pheasants! A new review that we've contributed to looking at causes and consequences of ranging behaviour in reared chickens, led by @birgitszabo.bsky.social Many chickens don't seem to want to use the additional space that they are offered. Can we change this?
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Ari Strandburg-Peshkin @arispeshkin.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
Less than a week left to apply!
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Rather feels like reading my obituary! 😬 But thanks Jen and Sophia for putting that together👍 I really enjoyed working with the ASAB team and recommend any AB folk consider joining and contributing. Looking forward to Edinburgh for the winter meeting. See you there.
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British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) @bou.org.uk · 07/10/2025
The origins and functions of bowers in the Bowerbirds: a review and synthesis | doi.org/10.1080/0158... | Emu | #ornithology 🪶
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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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ASAB @asab.org · 29/08/2025
It may be 9am on Day 5, but of course nobody couldn’t miss @samellisq.bsky.social’s fascinating plenary on menopause in whales! 😍👵🐳 #Behaviour2025
Sam in front of a slide reading Social behaviour, and the evolution of menopause in toothed whales
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Tom Cameron @ecoevoenviro.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Out last week - our #evidence review and assessment for @jncc.bsky.social of the #data and methods for assessing #sustainability of wild waterbird #harvest from recreational #hunting in the United Kingdom #wildlife #people led by @jomadden.bsky.social with Matt Ellis & myself #ecology #policy
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
How robust is current hunting bag data, and can we rely on it to manage sustainable harvest of UK waterbirds? For most species, it's pretty good, but released mallard🦆🦆can confuse the picture Recent collaboration with @ecoevoenviro.bsky.social and Matt Ellis
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Laura Kelley @lauraakelley.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
‪Come join us at the @asab.org Winter Conference 2025: how sensory info affects behaviour. 15th & 16th Dec, abstracts due end Aug. More info and registration asabwinter.github.io/2025 Co-hosted with @jtroscianko.bsky.social and Innes Cuthill
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Rebecca Chen @rebeccachen.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Publication alert! ✨ Our recent paper in Ecology & Evolution addresses how to make conferences more inclusive. We collected observational and experimental data during Q&A sessions at the Behaviour 2023 congress hosted by Bielefeld University, and circulated a survey among conference attendees [1/4]
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Andy Radford @andyradford.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
🚨JOB alert🚨 Full-time Managing Editor role for @asab.org journal Animal Behaviour. Applicants must have animal #behaviour background; previous editorial experience would be ideal. Apply by 31st July 2025. #publishing #editor #job More details: www.asab.org/opportunities PLEASE share widely.
asab.org
Opportunities — ASAB
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ASAB @asab.org · 04/07/2025
We are seeking a full-time Managing Editor for our journal Animal Behaviour. This editor will be involved in all stages of the publication process & must have a general understanding of the topics covered. Position starts Oct 1, application deadline July 31. More details: www.asab.org/opportunities
asab.org
Opportunities — ASAB
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
What are we talking about when we're talking about "cognition"? Terminology in this field has become confused and confusing. While writing our recent review, we tried to structure terms for our own sanity, and provide a template in a Glossary royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
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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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Elli Leadbeater @ellileadbeater.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Selection Shapes Diverse Animal Minds: our special issue of @royalsocietypublishing.org Phil Trans B on the diverse evolutionary processes underlying cognitive evolution is out today. Thanks to all our contributors! royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Vol 380, No 1929
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
NEW PAPER🎺 How does cognition determine an individual’s fitness? A systematic review of the links between cognition, behaviour and fitness in non-human animals Lots of studies try to explain how cognition might evolve, by taking a behavioural ecology approach Has this approach made any progress?🧵
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
I really enjoyed talking with the Shoothub team about our work on rearing better gamebirds, the economics & ecology of game release, and my progression from bowerbirds to pheasants. Well worth a listen if you want to understand more about game rearing open.spotify.com/episode/6ktj...
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Rob Heathcote @rjpheathcote.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
🐠💥2 year postdoc in fish sensory ecology!! 💥🐟 If you’re into animal colour, collective behaviour, predator-prey interactions, enjoy behavioural experiments and fieldwork, please apply! Based in Oxford with fieldwork in northwest Thailand (and elsewhere). Please repost! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNM294/p...
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
I really enjoyed talking with the Shoothub team about our work on rearing better gamebirds, the economics & ecology of game release, and my progression from bowerbirds to pheasants. Well worth a listen if you want to understand more about game rearing open.spotify.com/episode/6ktj...
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
And now for something completely different... **BEAVERS** Our new paper on the foraging behaviour of Devon and Norwegian beavers is now out - Open Access A short 🧵 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
And now for something completely different... **BEAVERS** Our new paper on the foraging behaviour of Devon and Norwegian beavers is now out - Open Access A short 🧵 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
What do I research? What does a pheasant do in a maze? How many pheasants are released each year? What happens to conferences when pandemics strike? What keeps me awake at night? A 15 min interview by Baffling Biology gets to the bottom of these Have a listen! open.spotify.com/episode/2quO...
open.spotify.com
Episode 15. Dr Joah Madden on Pheasant Cognition (mini episode)
Baffling Biology · Episode
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British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) @bou.org.uk · 02/05/2025
Did complex song and dance co-evolve with brain size in the birds-of-paradise (Aves: Paradisaeidae)? | doi.org/10.1093/orni... | Ornithology | #ornithology 🪶
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Podcast describing some of our work on rearing and releasing fewer, better birds. The presenters do a great job conveying the research! Section starts at 8:10 (unless you want to enjoy some Cornish-baiting banter beforehand) podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com
The Avian's Advice Episode
Podcast Episode · The GunsOnPegs Podcast · 15/04/2025 · 1h 4m
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ASAB @asab.org · 26/04/2025
I know you’re all sad #ASABSpring2025 is over, but you can put the #ASABWinter2025 dates in your diary: Dec 15-16 in Edinburgh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Theme is “How sensory information affects behaviour”
Jo madden in front of a slide reading “ASAB Winter Conference 2025
How sensory information affects behaviour
15 - 16* December 2025; Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh
Keynote speakers
* Amanda Melin (University of Calgary, Canada) - Candy Rowe & John Skelhorn (Newcastle University, UK)
Tinbergen Lecture
Toshitaka Suzuki (University of Tokyo, Japan)
Organisers
Laura Kelley & Jolyon Troscianko (University of Exeter, UK)
Innes Cuthill (University of Bristol, UK)”
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ASAB @asab.org · 25/04/2025
Voting for meetings secretary is now open! Check your email for more information about our two great candidates. Polls close May 15 so vote soon! 🗳️ You need to log in as a member to vote: asab.wildapricot.org/Sys/Poll/61240
asab.wildapricot.org
The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour - Authorization required
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Welcome to Liverpool and thanks to the great team there who have put together #asab2025 My last intro to an asab meeting. It's been a great role to have taken on and I've enjoyed it hugely
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Travelling up to this today and looking forward to a couple of days great science!
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ASAB 2025 @asab-spring-2025.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Our #ASABSpring2025 programme is out now! Want to find out when you're presenting, how to get to LJMU, or what to do in Liverpool? Well its all in here 😉 Go check out the up to date versions on our ASAB conference website 🔗 asabspring2025.github.io
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andydhigginson.bsky.social @andydhigginson.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
Applications are open to the best #MSc training for a career in #AnimalBehaviour! Highly suitable for anyone with a BSc in Biology or Psychology, but we are skilled at converting people with social, veterinary and agricultural BSc's to a exciting career. www.exeter.ac.uk/study/postgr...
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Talking to @fieldsportstv at last week's gamekeepers meeting, about our studies of the ecological impacts of gamebird release and management. youtu.be/G1R3vK7O5wM?... (starts 18.00)
youtu.be
Fieldsports Britain – YouTube for shooters
YouTube video by Fieldsports Channel
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Ondrej Fiser @laniusondrej.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
🦅🧠 Bird Cognition 🧠🦅 Anyone who studies or is just fascinated by how birds perceive, learn, remember and solve problems 🐦 Let's all meet in this cool new #starterpack 🤩 Let me know if you want to join in too 🦜🦤🦉🦆🐣🪺🪶🧪 🔗 go.bsky.app/V2K7HQM #Ornithology #Birds #AnimalBehaviour
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Shiny Happy Pheasants🎵 Looking for someone with decent Shiny App skills to put together app for conservation managers to explore pheasant movement data. All backend analytical code is completed. Now needs GUI frontend developed ~1-2 months work (paid!), can be remote Interested? Reply/DM Pls RT
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Natalie Hempel @nataliehempel.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Closing this Monday 13th Jan - PhD funding to study bees, foxes, monkeys, orcas or pheasants with us in @crab-exeter.bsky.social Exeter
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Where are all the field studies? This ⬇️ important but rather depressing paper describes how conducting, & crucially initiating, field studies is becoming harder & rarer. A short 🧵 (and a call for more fieldwork) www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...
cell.com
Extinction of experience among ecologists
Fieldwork-based research and education in ecology are under multiple threats and are progressively declining. We call for greater attention to this ongoing loss of direct field experience within the ecology community, as it could have widespread consequences for science and education, ultimately hindering efforts to address the ongoing biodiversity crisis.
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