Sign in

Steve Portugal

@sjportugal.bsky.social
2.8K followers 1.7K following 676 posts

Scientist. Physiologist, Zoologist, Ornithologist - Assoc Prof at The University of Oxford. Associate Ed at RSocPublishing 🏳️‍🌈🇪🇺🐦🎾

PostsRepliesMedia
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 18h
I planted 1,000 seeds in our meadow. One flowered 😂
250
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Brendan Barrett @bjjbarrett.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Our paper on how orangutan mothers plan and alter their space use at personal costs so their offspring may play with similarly aged offspring (independent of kinship and fruit productivity) has transitioned from preprint to peer reviewed publication doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org
Maternal ranging strategies facilitate offspring social play at energetic cost in the most solitary ape | PNAS
In most vertebrates, social play among peers is considered essential for behavioral development. Yet in solitary species bearing single offspring, ...
211857
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 06/10/2026
100 years of September sea surface temperature anomalies... watch until the end (record high) 🫣 Data from ERSSTv6: www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/ext... 🌊
39357
Reposted by Steve Portugal
BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Job Alert! 🔉 We're looking for two part-time Field Surveyors for the Winter survey season from November - March to conduct wintering bird surveys. To discover more and apply visit ➡️ www.bto.org/jobs 📍 Survey areas: Yorkshire Dales & the Fens. 📝 Deadline for applications: Sunday 18 October 2026.
A Fieldfare is amongst frosty grass. Wording above reads: We’re hiring! Field Surveyors - LandSpAES Project.
03138
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
050
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Nick Graham @nickajgraham.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Three marine research positions: Post-Doc - Marine Food Web Rewiring: hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx... Post-Doc - Biodiversity and Recovery Dynamics: hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx... Project coordinator / research assistant - w/@timlamont.bsky.social hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
01121
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Surely these are going to end up at Otmoor?
010
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Science Magazine @science.org · 05/10/2026
A recent analysis in Science of more than 116,000 bird songs has revealed that the astonishing variety of passerine birdsong is built from just eight basic acoustic motifs, like trills, whistles, and harmonic notes. Learn more on #WorldAnimalDay: scim.ag/3SziyeL
A phylogenetic distribution and trait correlates of acoustic motifs in passerine birds. Hedline reads: The global biogeography of passerine songs
120870
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Weirdest review comment on a grant yet 😂
0211
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
020
Reposted by Steve Portugal
UNR Biology Buzz @unr-biologybuzz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
We are hiring! 🧪 Tenure-track position in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Great colleagues, nearby mountains, and of course a certain lake... Application info: nshe.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UNR-external... www.unr.edu/biology #evolution #EEB #ecoevo #evolsky #academicjobs
A winter view of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains with snow on the ground and trees
06485
Reposted by Steve Portugal
British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) @bou.org.uk · 01/10/2026
📢 APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN... ...for the 2027 BOU Summer Placement Scheme Financially supporting undergraduate students to carry out summer #ornithology research placements Application deadline: 29 January 2027 Guidelines & application form: bou.org.uk/funding/s... 🪶
01517
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Elizabeth Hobson @elizabethhobson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I am recruiting new parakeet postbacs to join my research team! If you are (or know of) someone who recently graduated undergrad & is looking to build research experience prior to applying to grad school or a career path (and you like animal sociality and cognition) apply here! tinyurl.com/59rf8jcy
tinyurl.com
Recruiting parakeet research contractors
Recruiting parakeet research technicians!   The Hobson Lab at the University of Cincinnati is recruiting research contractors on our Monk Parakeet sociality and cognition project at our resear…
01421
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Prosanta Chakrabarty @prosanta.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Exciting news! We here at the LSU Museum of Natural Science @lsumns.bsky.social and Dept. of Biological Sciences are looking for Curator and Assistant Professor of Vertebrate Paleobiology! Come work with us! We are fun, supportive and active! lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/LSU/jo...
lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
Assistant Professor
All Job Postings will close at 12:01a.m. CST (1:01a.m. EST) on the specified Closing Date (if designated). If you close the browser or exit your application prior to submitting, the application progre...
03052
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Steve Brusatte @stevebrusatte.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🚨Postdoc job alert: Come work with my paleontology & evolution group in Edinburgh! Researcher in Cognitive Evolution Over Deep Time. You'll study how brains & neurons have evolved over time, and predict neuron count in extinct species! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DTC355/p...
jobs.ac.uk
Postdoctoral Research Associate in Cognitive Evolution over Deep Time at The University of Edinburgh
Apply for the Postdoctoral Research Associate in Cognitive Evolution over Deep Time role on jobs.ac.uk, the top job board for academic positions in higher education. View details and apply now.
26175
Reposted by Steve Portugal
João Menezes @jocateme.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Our new paper on bird vocal amplitude is out in @sse-evolution.bsky.social ! Across 123 species, we found two new contenders for world’s loudest bird: bare-throated bellbird and seriema Along with the white bellbird, both can reach jackhammer-level amplitudes! doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpag153
410755
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Great showing from the PhD Team today at the annual symposium! @ghtrabin.bsky.social @smthmpsn.bsky.social @gayatrikumar.bsky.social and Luca Valenti
0101
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Red Kite dies after being found with gunshot injuries in Peak District National Park. Police appeal for information + commentary from me ⬇️ #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/09/28/r...
raptorpersecutionuk.org
Red Kite dies after being found with gunshot injuries in Peak District National Park – Police appeal for information
Derbyshire Constabulary has issued an appeal for information (27 September 2026) following the discovery of a shot Red Kite in the Peak District National Park on or before 7th July 2026. RURAL CRIM…
04239
Reposted by Steve Portugal
SEBiology @sebiology.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
⏰ Final days to submit your session proposal for #SEBconference Glasgow 2027! The deadline is THIS WEEK: 1 October. Don't miss your chance to shape the scientific programme! Submit now: www.sebiology.org/resource/fin... Please share widely
014
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Birds are growing up first
050
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Anna Wilkinson @coldbloodedcog.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Come and work with us.... jobs.lincoln.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...
jobs.lincoln.ac.uk
Job Opportunity at the University of Lincoln: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Human Animal Interactions
Lecturer salary starts from £38,784 per annum.Senior Lecturer salary starts from £44,746 per annum.The School of Natural Sciences at the University of Lincoln seeks to appoint a Lecturer or Senior Lec...
01723
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Ibis' out for a walk with pizza.
2366
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Dr Nick 🦉🇦🇺 @doktrnick.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Ibis' out for a walk with pizza.
1117947
Reposted by Steve Portugal
T Revathe @revathe.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
!! New in @science.org !! How do animals learn broad skills necessary for survival in the wild? Our latest study on wild Sumatran orangutans at Suaq provides answers. 1/11 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
How 8 years of social and individual learning interact to shape ecological competence in orangutans
Cultural learning permeates human skill and knowledge acquisition. To understand its importance for nonhuman apes, we analyzed just under 7000 records of behavioral bouts of social and individual lear...
38536
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Ecology and Evolution at the University of Houston @uh-ecoevo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We're hiring an Assistant or Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology in our department at the university of Houston @uh-ecoevo.bsky.social Come work with us! careers.uh.edu/jobs/assista...
careers.uh.edu
Assistant or Associate Professor - Evolutionary Biology - Houston, Texas, United States
Department: Biology and Biochemistry Salary: Commensurate with experience Description: The Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Houston seeks to hire an evolutionary biolog...
0611
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Exeter College
040
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Brutal.
050
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Matt Lovett-Barron @mlovettbarron.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Our lab's latest paper on the neurobiology of collective behavior is now published www.nature.com/articles/s41... This is the work of a great team in the lab - led by Jo-Hsien Yu, with Geoff Meyerhof, Jimjohn Milan, and Julia Napoli @nature.com @danionella.bsky.social
1011861
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Liam U. Taylor @liamtaylor.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A Leach's Storm-Petrel makes a dramatic exit from its underground nesting burrow in a rainstorm on Kent Island, New Brunswick, Canada
1135
Reposted by Steve Portugal
RSPB Science @rspbscience.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
New job alert 🪶🧪 We are hiring a Conservation Scientist to work on links between hydrological restoration and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker conservation Deadline: 7/10/26 Apply here: app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car... #SpeciesRecoveryProgramme @naturalengland.bsky.social 📷Ben Andrew
A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker perched by its nest hole
23337
Reposted by Steve Portugal
BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Forty-three Ring-necked Parakeets have been recovered dead from a London park over a three-week period after suspected attacks with catapults:
f.mtr.cool
Forty-three parakeets found dead after suspected catapult attacks in London park
Wildlife rescuers say groups of youths are targeting roosting Ring-necked Parakeets at Priory Gardens in Orpington, with five birds found dead.
033
Reposted by Steve Portugal
BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Dream job for an #editor & nature lover! 🐦🌿Apply now ➡️ www.bto.org/jobs 📅 Full time, Permanent. 📝 £38,710.00 per annum. 📍 BTO HQ in Thetford, Norfolk (Hybrid working). Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. #Ornithology
A Nightingale perches on a branch amongst the green foliage of a bush. Wording over the image reads: We're hiring! Science Communications Manager.
03356
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Alberta Claw @albertonykus.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
New review of what we know and don't know about the evolutionary history of birds and their close fossil relatives! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 🪶🧪 (📷Benito & @lizzysteell.bsky.social)
Diagram showing the evolutionary relationships and geologic ages of birds and closely related bird-like dinosaurs.
07540
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The only downside to living in Oxford. The ring of bird repellent around it.
060
Reposted by Steve Portugal
environmentjob @environmentjob.co.uk · 21/09/2026
environmentjob.co.uk
Director of Communities, Campaigns and Fundraising
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Doncaster, Huddersfield, York or Skipton, £61,828 - £65,026 pa (pro rata if part-time)
013
Reposted by Steve Portugal
BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Forty-three Ring-necked Parakeets have been recovered dead from a London park over a three-week period after suspected attacks with catapults:
f.mtr.cool
Forty-three parakeets found dead after suspected catapult attacks in London park
Wildlife rescuers say groups of youths are targeting roosting Ring-necked Parakeets at Priory Gardens in Orpington, with five birds found dead.
121
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Ashkaan K. Fahimipour @akfbio.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I'd be grateful if you could circulate to good students: I'm recruiting PhD students for Fall '27 in the areas of species interactions and animal behavior. Ad here - jobs.rwfm.tamu.edu/view-job/?id...
02840
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Great to see the Grey Phalarope that rocked up just down the road
060
Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I comb my cat every Saturday morning. And then he always feels the need to wash me back. I’m sure he thinks I’m a cat too. Cute but gross 😂 So always comb him pre my morning shower. #caturday
160
Reposted by Steve Portugal
James Bullock @jmbecologist.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Oh FFS. Increases in a few species is not a positive from climate change It is a signal that communities & ecosystems are under threat from rapid change Please, BBC, don’t do this simplistic reporting, feeding complacency about climate breakdown www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Hummingbird hawk moths and ivy bees: The insects growing in number as temperatures rise
Hummingbird hawk moths - often mistaken for small birds - are being spotted in the West Midlands.
111139
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Ethological Society @ethoges.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
🧪 ETHOLOGY: Can singing bring birds closer together? 🐦🎶🤝 Riters & Maksimoski review how positive social interactions shape vocal learning in cowbirds and starlings. Responses from others helps fine-tune songs, while singing may also strengthen social cohesion. #OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1111/eth.70108
doi.org
Contributions of Positive Social Interactions to Vocal Learning and Social Cohesion
Birdsong produced in non-breeding flocks is shaped by a dynamic interplay between intrinsic reward and social feedback. Studies in cowbirds and starlings suggest that positive affective states and op...
1106
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Frank Melzner @frankmelzner.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Our lab is hiring a long-term Postdoc in marine animal physiology (5 years). Great chance to work with us phenotyping mussels & to develop your own research program on questions of choice. Excellent lab and aquaristics facilities and easy access to European seas: jobs.univie.ac.at/job/Postdoc-...
jobs.univie.ac.at
Postdoc marine evolutionary physiology (University Assistant)
Postdoc marine evolutionary physiology (University Assistant)
21925
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Emma Vogel @efvogel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I love visuals that bring data to life, so I was very excited when I was asked to create animations for the @uitnorgesarktiske.bsky.social Museum showing the transatlantic scale of humpback whale migrations! This is just a subset of the data I am working with for @bioprotectproject.bsky.social🐋🌍🧪🌊
16125
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Kelly Zamudio @kzutaustin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
TWO JOBS in our department #IntegrativeBiology at #UTAustin! Evolutionary Biology and Organismal Mechanistic Processes, both very widely defined. Come join us! Application info here: apply.interfolio.com/193270
UT Austin logo
03144
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Jay Gallagher @jay-gallagher.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
🐟🚨 New paper! 🚨🐟 Where do behavioral differences come from? Early life environment clearly matters... ...or not? Early environment affected behavior, but NOT how different individuals became from each other. Those differences were seeded before birth through factors OTHER than genetic variation 🤯
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Born This Way: Individuality Is Seeded Before Birth and Robust to Ecological Stress
We reared and recorded behaviours of clonal Amazon mollies in standardized environments, with and without predation stress, from birth through week four of life, to understand how the developmental e...
39540
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Peter Santema @petersantema.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
New #ornithology paper out in @ecography.bsky.social! The tendency of birds to return to the same breeding area in different years varies wildly among species. We show that breeding site fidelity is much lower in #shorebirds nesting in the #Arctic tundra than in those nesting in other habitats. 1/n
Map showing the geographic locations of shorebird populations included in the study, alongside four Arctic-breeding shorebird species with low breeding-site fidelity: Red Phalarope, Long-billed Dowitcher, White-rumped Sandpiper, and Pectoral Sandpiper.
17230
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Jakub Nowosad @jakubnowosad.com · 14/09/2026
🚀 NLMR 1.4.0 is now on GitHub! A major terra migration, new `landscape_classify()` & `catalog_nlm()` helpers, and more. github.com/ropensci/NLMR (⚠️ `nlm_fbm()` & `nlm_gaussianfield()` are currently missing -- still figuring out the best way forward for these two functions) #rstats #rspatial
065
Reposted by Steve Portugal
Miguel Clavero @chikichanka.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Japanese team have observed directly, for the first time, noctule bats hunting birds The images they provide astonishingly resemble that painted by Brueghel over 400 years ago... maybe he had actually seen the hunt!! Paper: esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @ebdonana.bsky.social
012548
Reposted by Steve Portugal
BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
We're looking for our next Editor of BTO News! Find out more about the role and apply here➡️ www.bto.org/jobs 😀 📅 Full time, Permanent. 📝 £38,710.00 per annum. 📍 Thetford, Norfolk (Hybrid). Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. #Ornithology
A bird called a Redstart perches on top of a post, showing its bright orange-red underparts, grey upperparts and black face and bill. Wording above reads: We're hiring! Science Communications Manager.
13439
Reposted by Steve Portugal
David N. Thomas @dnthomas01.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
A heartwarming tale about a dedicated effort to save the last few remaining gooey snails (Myxas glutinosa) in the UK bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Zoos help to save snail found in only one lake in Wales
Once prevalent across the UK, this mollusc is now only found in one lake in Wales.
433292