Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 3h

Great to work with you, Vanessa and Basel Zoo!

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 3h

Thank you so much!

Reposted by ManyBirds Project

PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 6h

Fear of novelty varies across species & individuals, impacting adaptability & survival. @themanybirds.bsky.social @drrmiller.bsky.social &co assess #neophobia in 1400 subjects from 136 #bird species, identifying phylogenetic influences & broad ecological drivers @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4haLEsN

Left: Examples of novel objects used. Each black/white bar is 5 cm long. The objects ranged in size from a third to half the size of the subjects: (a) Southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, (b) Moluccan eclectus, Eclectus roratus, (c) Rüppell’s vulture, Gyps rueppelli, (d) gray-winged trumpeter, Psophia crepitans, (e) common waxbill, Estrilda astrild. Right: Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) at Adlerwarte Berlebeck, Germany, interacting with a novel object. Image credit Kai Caspar.

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Reposted by ManyBirds Project

Centre for Research on Ecology, Cognition and Behaviour of Birds @ecobird.bsky.social · 7h

Wonderful to see this project published! We were glad to contribute a small part to this impressive collaborative effort through ECoBird.

ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 19h

🐦 Exciting news! Our new paper is out in PLOS Biology:
“A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia.”
Led by the #ManyBirds Project - 129 researchers, 82 institutions, 24 countries 🌍
🔗 journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
@themanybirds.bsky.social

A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia

Neophobia (the aversive response to novelty) varies considerably across species and individuals, and can impact adaptability and survival. This study assesses neophobia in 1400 subjects from 136 bird ...

journals.plos.org

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Reposted by ManyBirds Project

Paula Ibáñez de Aldecoa @pialdecoa.bsky.social · 6h

⚠️ PAPER ALERT!

Stoked to be part of @themanybirds.bsky.social 1st paper on the evolutionary correlates of #neophobia in #birds on @plosbiology.org

Contributing to this BTS project has been a truly enriching experience!

🦜🦉🐥🐧🦚🦅🦩🦆🪿

Kudos to @drrmiller.bsky.social for leading this titanic effort 💪🏻

Dr Rachael Miller (Harrison) @drrmiller.bsky.social · 18h

So excited that our first major empirical @themanybirds.bsky.social paper is now out in @plosbiology.org!
Leading this big team science project, with our excellent core leadership team, is a labour of love for me, delighted to see our hard work over the past 4 years has reached this milestone!

ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 19h

🐦 Exciting news! Our new paper is out in PLOS Biology:
“A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia.”
Led by the #ManyBirds Project - 129 researchers, 82 institutions, 24 countries 🌍
🔗 journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
@themanybirds.bsky.social

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 8h

Great to work with you, Christine!

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 18h

Such a pleasure to work with you, Ondrej!

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Reposted by ManyBirds Project

Dr Rachael Miller (Harrison) @drrmiller.bsky.social · 18h

So excited that our first major empirical @themanybirds.bsky.social paper is now out in @plosbiology.org!
Leading this big team science project, with our excellent core leadership team, is a labour of love for me, delighted to see our hard work over the past 4 years has reached this milestone!

ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 19h

🐦 Exciting news! Our new paper is out in PLOS Biology:
“A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia.”
Led by the #ManyBirds Project - 129 researchers, 82 institutions, 24 countries 🌍
🔗 journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
@themanybirds.bsky.social

A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia

Neophobia (the aversive response to novelty) varies considerably across species and individuals, and can impact adaptability and survival. This study assesses neophobia in 1400 subjects from 136 bird ...

journals.plos.org

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 18h

Hello, thank you - you can find all species listed in our supplementary information (data files and site information)

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 19h

Big thank you to our ManyBirds core leadership team: @drrmiller.bsky.social, Megan Lambert, @vedranaslipogor.bsky.social, @nomascus.bsky.social, @jimeloism.bsky.social, Carl Soulsbury, @stephanreber.bsky.social, Claudia Mettke-Hofmann - and to all of our collaborators!

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 19h

The #ManyBirds Project shows how big team open science approaches can uncover hidden patterns in animal behaviour and evolution, complementing critical in-depth single-lab work.
Huge thanks to everyone involved across six continents 🌍💛 More info & how to join future studies: 👉 www.themanybirds.com

Home - Many Birds Projects

A Big-Team Open Science approach to avian cognition and behaviour research.

www.themanybirds.com

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 19h

Birds tested in groups were more neophobic than those tested alone - likely waiting for others to take the risk first!
And individuals showed consistent behaviour over time, suggesting neophobia is a stable behavioural trait.

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 19h

Two main ecological factors predicted neophobia:
🥗 Dietary specialisation – species with narrower diets were more fearful.
🧭 Migratory behaviour – migratory species were more cautious.
➡️ Supporting both the Neophobia Threshold & Dangerous Niche Hypotheses.

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 19h

Across 1,439 birds from 136 species and 25 avian orders, we used standardised tests:
familiar food was presented with and without a novel object.
⏱️ Longer hesitation = higher neophobia.
Flamingos were cautious, falcons bold - big differences across species!
(Photo credit: @jimeloism.bsky.social)

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 19h

Neophobia - the fear of novelty - shapes how animals balance risk and opportunity.
Too much caution can limit flexibility, but too little can be dangerous.
We asked: why do some bird species fear new things more than others? 🐧🦅

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · 19h

🐦 Exciting news! Our new paper is out in PLOS Biology:
“A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia.”
Led by the #ManyBirds Project - 129 researchers, 82 institutions, 24 countries 🌍
🔗 journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
@themanybirds.bsky.social

A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia

Neophobia (the aversive response to novelty) varies considerably across species and individuals, and can impact adaptability and survival. This study assesses neophobia in 1400 subjects from 136 bird ...

journals.plos.org

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · Sep 9

Stay tuned for a very exciting update coming shortly from the ManyBirds Project! Eeek!

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Reposted by ManyBirds Project

Comparative Cognition Society @compcogsoc.bsky.social · Mar 28

Very cool to see results from the big collaborative effort Many Birds @themanybirds.bsky.social
@drrmiller.bsky.social #CO3_2025 🧪🐤🐦🦜🦆

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · Feb 27

A reminder about our OPEN CALL for submission of potential future ManyBirds studies: forms.gle/Qk4hZ6N6DxQB.... Please see link for all info on the process and planned review criteria. Deadline for submission is 31 May 2025. We welcome new ManyBirds collaborators to future studies!

ManyBirds Project: Potential ManyBirds Studies

This is a form for submitting proposals for potential ManyBirds Project future studies (www.themanybirds.com). Full submissions are confidential and will be reviewed by the ManyBirds Core Team Leads ...

forms.gle

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Reposted by ManyBirds Project

Comparative Cognition Society @compcogsoc.bsky.social · Jan 15

Congrats to Dr. Rachael Miller @Dr_Rmiller @drrmiller.bsky.social for receiving the @ComparativeCog Society Early Career Award!

Rachel will give her talk "Avian cognition and behaviour: from fundamental to applied" at #CO3_2025 in Albuquerque in March.

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Reposted by ManyBirds Project

Dr Rachael Miller (Harrison) @drrmiller.bsky.social · Jan 17

Thank you very much!

Comparative Cognition Society @compcogsoc.bsky.social · Jan 15

Congrats to Dr. Rachael Miller @Dr_Rmiller @drrmiller.bsky.social for receiving the @ComparativeCog Society Early Career Award!

Rachel will give her talk "Avian cognition and behaviour: from fundamental to applied" at #CO3_2025 in Albuquerque in March.

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Reposted by ManyBirds Project

Drew Altschul @dremalt.bsky.social · Dec 13

Yes, big team science is for any and all taxa! If you're at #ASABWinter2024 you'll find reps from @manydogsproject.bsky.social @themanybirds.bsky.social @manygoatsproject.bsky.social ManyZoos and ManyFishes. Find your people!

Louise Mackie @louisemackie.bsky.social · Dec 13

Happy to see our fellow big team science project, ManyPrimates, presented at #ASABWinter2024 @asab.org ! Join the Manys ;) 🐵🐶

ManyPrimates3, big team science, "learn more" presentation slide at ASAB Winter Conference.

ManyDogs2 project information is placed at the bottom of a scientific poster at ASAB Winter Conference. The topic is overimitation in dogs and data collection will begin in 2025.

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Reposted by ManyBirds Project

ManyGoats Project @manygoatsproject.bsky.social · Dec 13

Hello Bluesky! We are ManyGoats, an international network of goat scientists.

Inspired by others like @manydogsproject.bsky.social @themanybirds.bsky.social, we aim to facilitate open, reproducible 🐐 behaviour & welfare science.

How? By running multi-site behaviour studies worldwide! 🧵

a herd of goats are walking across a dirt road .

ALT: a herd of goats are walking across a dirt road .

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by ManyBirds Project

Ella Williamson @ellawilliamson.bsky.social · Nov 29

My first (and definitely not last!) contribution to a Big Team science project. My PhD supervisor, Prof Katie Slocombe, and I examined object neophobia in various birds of prey for this project 🦅🦉 a brilliant lead research team! 😃

ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · Nov 25

We are delighted to announce that ManyBirds Study 1 “Evolutionary drivers of neophobia across the avian clade” is now available in pre-print: doi.org/10.31219/osf... and been submitted for peer-review publication. 1/

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ManyBirds Project @themanybirds.bsky.social · Nov 30

Thanks Ella, a pleasure to work with you and Katie on this!

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