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thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber
@thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
570 followers 400 following 370 posts

Executive Director at CUNY ASRC, comparative psychology professor at GC CUNY with an eye on brood parasites; Nat Geo Explorer, married 🏳️‍🌈; I post my own mind. www.cowbirdlab.org

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Mark Erno Hauber is an American ornithologist and Endowed Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research considers the development of avian recognition systems. .. more

Environmental science 35%
Biology 30%
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thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 3h
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Brood parasites may facilitate horizontal transmission of feather mites: evidence from brown-headed cowbirds - Evolutionary Ecology
For small symbiotic organisms, dispersal is a fundamental process that shapes their ecological and coevolutionary dynamics. Ectosymbiotic feather mites lack a dedicated dispersal stage and are primarily transmitted vertically (from parent to offspring) at the nest, resulting in high host specificity and limited opportunities for host-switching. However, feather mites switch hosts more often than expected, given their biology. One potential mechanism for this unexpected pattern is brood parasitism, which offers a unique opportunity for feather mites to disperse across host species. Here, we introduce the Brood Parasite Facilitation Hypothesis (BPFH), which proposes that brood parasites act as temporary dispersal vectors for symbionts, facilitating their transmission between host species. We demonstrate proof of concept of the initial step of the BPFH in feather mites: dispersal to a new host species. Using both morphological and molecular evidence, we show that brood parasitic Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) harbor feather mites acquired from their foster parents (Prothonotary Warblers; Protonotaria citrea), both in the nest and after fledging. These data support the occurrence of nest-based horizontal transmission, but how frequently this occurs and whether foster-acquired mites persist into host adulthood and ultimately transmit between species remain open questions, in addition to identifying the factors that limit or promote long-term establishment on novel hosts. Overall, our findings highlight the role of dispersal in shaping host-symbiont associations and raise key questions about the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms driving host-switching events in symbiotic systems.
link.springer.com
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thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 2d
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Great expectations: altricial developmental strategies are associated with more flexible evolution of limb skeleton proportions in birds | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Birds have repeatedly evolved diverse developmental strategies, including multiple origins of sophisticated parental care, making them a model system to explore the consequences of developmental strat...
royalsocietypublishing.org
2

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 2d
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Movement Ecology of Adult Male Threatened Katipō (Latrodectus katipo) and Invasive False Katipō (Steatoda capensis)
Locomotor performance influences an animal's ability to find resources, including new habitats or mates. We compared the movement and exploration behaviours of adult male endemic katipō (Latrodectus ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
1

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 2d
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The origins and functions of bowers in the Bowerbirds: a review and synthesis
Bowerbirds (Aves: Ptilonorhynchidae) are unique among birds in that males build unusual structures called ‘bowers’ which function exclusively for sexual signalling. Research suggests that bowers ar...
www.tandfonline.com
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Reposted by Márk E. Hauber, Hugo Mercier, Philip N. Cohen , and 2 more

jessicacalarco.com
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 3d
I have to fan-girl for a minute here. My friend @rosvall-lab.bsky.social built an app to gather data on bird behavior during the 2024 solar eclipse. 10,000+ citizen scientists contributed (including my kids), and the resulting paper was published in Science today!

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Total solar eclipse triggers dawn behavior in birds: Insights from acoustic recordings and community science
On 8 April 2024, a total solar eclipse disrupted light-dark cycles for North American birds during the lead-up to spring reproduction. Compiling more than 10,000 community observations and artificial ...
www.science.org
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thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 3d
What the Solar Eclipse did for the birds: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Total solar eclipse triggers dawn behavior in birds: Insights from acoustic recordings and community science
On 8 April 2024, a total solar eclipse disrupted light-dark cycles for North American birds during the lead-up to spring reproduction. Compiling more than 10,000 community observations and artificial ...
www.science.org
4 7

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 3d
More coverage of the 6 continent comparative host-parasite paper by Will Feeney and team: www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/b...
Birds Make an Alarm Call That Spans Species and Continents—and May Offer Insight Into the Evolution of Human Language
More than 20 species make a nearly identical noise to warn nearby birds of brood parasites, a behavior that bridges the “sharp division between animal communication systems and human language”
www.smithsonianmag.com
2

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 4d
zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/zuckerman-in...
Zuckerman Institute’s Ishmail Abdus-Saboor Wins NIH Director's Pioneer Award
zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 4d
Saying farewell to Mande Holford, a frequent @asrc-gc.bsky.social coauthor!
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Reposted by Márk E. Hauber

zuckermanbrain.bsky.social
Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social · 4d
Congratulations to @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social on receiving the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, celebrating “scientists with outstanding records of creativity.” His lab will explore how the sense of touch can help build relationships. 🫶🧠💡

See zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/zuckerman-in...
Ishmail Abdus-Saboor
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Reposted by Dorothy Bishop, Márk E. Hauber

wiringthebrain.bsky.social
Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 5d
Is there anything Aristotle *didn't* already think about?
inverting-vision.bsky.social
Danny Robb @inverting-vision.bsky.social · 11d
Aristotle noticed that when bees returned to the hive, they shook or "danced" in front of a group. Millennia later, scientists debated whether it was a form of "language" amid shifts in scientific methods and philosophies in the 20th century.

#histsci 🗃️ #bees

daily.jstor.org/the-bee-danc...
The Bee Dance Debate - JSTOR Daily
Can insects communicate? In the middle of the twentieth century, scientists disagreed on whether bees could possess a “language” expressed through motion.
daily.jstor.org
8 3 40

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 5d
Reading it now!
3 9 130

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 5d
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Sexual selection drives sex difference in adult life expectancy across mammals and birds
Sexual size dimorphism and mating system contribute to male and female life-span differences across wild and zoo populations.
www.science.org
5 14

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 6d
southwest.audubon.org/news/meet-we...
This Dove-sized Bird Travels Five Thousand Miles for a Mate
Meet the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo
southwest.audubon.org
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Reposted by Márk E. Hauber

xaviermouy.bsky.social
Xavier Mouy @xaviermouy.bsky.social · 6d
🧪🐟🔉WHOI's Postdoctoral Scholars Program is now accepting applications.

Application deadline: December 1, 2025.

If you’re interested in bioacoustics, signal processing, AI/ML, or low-cost instrumentation, and are considering applying, feel free to get in touch with me.

www.whoi.edu/what-we-do/e...
Postdoctoral Scholar Program - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Eighteen-month Postdoctoral Scholar awards are offered to recipients of new or recent doctorates in the fields of chemistry, engineering, geology, geophysics, mathematics, meteorology, physics, and bi...
www.whoi.edu
2 6

Reposted by Márk E. Hauber

nicolasmathevon.bsky.social
Nicolas Mathevon @nicolasmathevon.bsky.social · 6d
Ultrasonic signals support a large-scale communication landscape in wild mice. See our paper here:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
@currentbiology.bsky.social #bioacoustics
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Reposted by Márk E. Hauber

asrcneuroscience.bsky.social
Neuroscience Initiative at the CUNY ASRC @asrcneuroscience.bsky.social · 9d
📢Join us this Thursday, October 9th, for our next Seminar! Featuring Dr. Antonio Aubry, Instructor, Dept. of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
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Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Márk E. Hauber

kohngregory.bsky.social
Gregory Kohn @kohngregory.bsky.social · 9d
This is an awe-inspiring and fascinating study that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. However, the overall framing in terms of "innate versus learned” is unnecessary. The innate versus acquired dichotomy is outdated and has been for a long time. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Learned use of an innate sound-meaning association in birds - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Over 20 species of geographically and phylogenetically diverse bird species produce convergent whining vocalizations towards their respective brood parasites. Model presentation and playback experiments across multiple continents suggest that these learned calls provoke an innate response even among allopatric species.
www.nature.com
2 22 61

Reposted by Márk E. Hauber

juliasaltz.bsky.social
Julia Saltz @juliasaltz.bsky.social · 9d
my lab has moved to @iubiology.bsky.social! We're getting the #newlab set up here and excited to interact with @iu-cisab.bsky.social, @bdsc.bsky.social, and more! I'd love to hear from prospective lab members, especially prospective PhD students, postdocs, and technicians. more info: saltzlab.com
2 10 9

Reposted by Márk E. Hauber

wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social
Wilson Ornithological Society @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social · 9d
The frontispiece of the current issue of The Wilson Journal of Ornithology is this gouache and colored pencil illustration of an Eastern Whip-poor-will by artist Kelly C. Balantine, inspired by a paper in the issue on the species' nesting phenology and chick development.
artist's close-up illustration of the head of a whip-poor-will
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Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming, David L. Roberts, Julie L. Lockwood , and 4 more

jonathanslaght.com
Jonathan C Slaght @jonathanslaght.com · 10d
super cool study found human artifacts in Bearded vulture nests, incl. "weaponry like a crossbow bolt and wooden lance, decorated sheep leather, and parts of a slingshot....a shoe made from twigs and grass is ~675-years-old." link to paper: doi.org/10.1002/ecy..... www.popsci.com/environment/... 🧪🌍🦉
Multi-generational vulture nests hold 700 years of human artifacts
Crossbow bolts, sandals, slingshots, and more.
www.popsci.com
26 900 2K

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 10d
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @asrc-gc.bsky.social #NSFfunded with data from from 6 different continents
Learned use of an innate sound-meaning association in birds - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Over 20 species of geographically and phylogenetically diverse bird species produce convergent whining vocalizations towards their respective brood parasites. Model presentation and playback experiments across multiple continents suggest that these learned calls provoke an innate response even among allopatric species.
www.nature.com
1 7 18

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 10d
@asrc-gc.bsky.social hosting prof Brad Sutton, from @beckmanillinois.bsky.social to talk about MRI systems
1 1

Reposted by Márk E. Hauber

daveyfwright.bsky.social
Dr. Davey F. Wright ⛏️🦕🧬 @daveyfwright.bsky.social · 10d
🚨We're hiring! The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History is seeking a tenure-track split position as Assistant Curator of Ichthyology and Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences. Please retweet & share with colleagues! 🐟🐠🧪

Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/174674
A job ad with multiple images, including the exterior of the museum, a view of collections (jars on shelves), and pictures of some cool, tropical fish but I don't know enough about fish to describe them other than to say they're pretty colors of yellow and blue/green
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thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 11d
www.cnn.com/2025/10/01/e... I had the honor to meet her… RIP
Conservationist Jane Goodall, whose work revolutionized the study of primates, has died | CNN
Jane Goodall, whose lifelong work as a primatologist helped broaden the world’s understanding of animal behavior and emotions, has died, her institute said Wednesday. She was 91.
www.cnn.com
3

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 12d
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... now with pagination @skwinnicki.bsky.social
Elevating Testosterone and Androstenedione Produces Temporary Sex‐Dependent Variation in Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) Embryonic Development
Vertebrate growth rates may respond to maternally supplied steroids, yet injections of individual hormones into avian eggs of different species have produced inconsistent results. This might be becau...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
3

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 12d
@leslievosshall.bsky.social giving the @ccnyresearch.bsky.social lecture @asrc-gc.bsky.social
1 4

Reposted by Márk E. Hauber

cuny.edu
The City University of New York @cuny.edu · 13d
CUNY claimed the top seven spots on @wsj.com's best value colleges list:

1. @baruch.cuny.edu
2. @huntercollege.bsky.social
3. @brooklyncollege.bsky.social
4. City College
5. John Jay College
6. @queenscollegecuny.bsky.social
7. @lehmancollege.bsky.social
CUNY Colleges Take Top Seven Spots in Wall Street Journal ‘Best Value’ Colleges Ranking – The City University of New York
The City University of New York claimed the top seven spots on The Wall Street Journal's best value colleges list, with Baruch College ranked first for the third year running due to its affordable cos...
www.cuny.edu
4 9

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 13d
jobs.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin/jobposting/e...
42/2025 Research Associate with the goal of a doctorate (f/m/d)
jobs.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin
1

thecowbirdlab.bsky.social
Dr Mark E Hauber @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social · 13d
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Wild canids and felids differ in their reliance on reused travel routeways | PNAS
Diverse factors, including environmental features and cognitive processes, can drive animals’ movements and space use, with far-reaching implicatio...
www.pnas.org