Nathan Senner
@drgodwit.bsky.social
Mass Audubon Bertrand Chair for Ornithology in Dept. Environmental Conservation at UMass Amherst. Fan of all things godwits. Oh, and other birds, and ecology, and evolution, and just cool science generally.
Look at that adorable deer mouse with the Rocky Mountains in the background. Nice job @jpvelotta.bsky.social and team on nabbing the image! #fieldwins
Read the latest issue of Evolution: academic.oup.com/evolut/issue...
November 20, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Look at that adorable deer mouse with the Rocky Mountains in the background. Nice job @jpvelotta.bsky.social and team on nabbing the image! #fieldwins
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Conflict between humans and wildlife—and especially, carnivores—may increase during times of drought, a new #ScienceAdvances analysis of droughts in California suggests. https://scim.ag/47PutKx
Human-wildlife conflict is amplified during periods of drought
Public reports of conflict with wildlife increase during extended periods of lower precipitation.
scim.ag
November 18, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Conflict between humans and wildlife—and especially, carnivores—may increase during times of drought, a new #ScienceAdvances analysis of droughts in California suggests. https://scim.ag/47PutKx
Reposted by Nathan Senner
The first doses of the blockbuster HIV prevention drug lenacapavir have arrived in Africa.
The doses came remarkably fast, just 5 months after approval in the US. But they're entering a system upended by Trump administration aid cuts.
www.npr.org/sections/goa...
The doses came remarkably fast, just 5 months after approval in the US. But they're entering a system upended by Trump administration aid cuts.
www.npr.org/sections/goa...
A 'breakthrough' drug to prevent HIV, an 'unprecedented' rollout
The drug lenacapavir will be distributed to Eswatini and Zambia — the first step toward providing at least 2 million doses to the countries with the highest HIV burden, largely in Africa, by 2028.
www.npr.org
November 18, 2025 at 2:28 PM
The first doses of the blockbuster HIV prevention drug lenacapavir have arrived in Africa.
The doses came remarkably fast, just 5 months after approval in the US. But they're entering a system upended by Trump administration aid cuts.
www.npr.org/sections/goa...
The doses came remarkably fast, just 5 months after approval in the US. But they're entering a system upended by Trump administration aid cuts.
www.npr.org/sections/goa...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
"Okay, But… Birds" 🐦🦆🐣 🦉🦜🦩
Listen/watch this science-meets-storytelling podcast about the weird, brilliant, & surprisingly dramatic lives of birds. Hosted by evolutionary biologist Scott Taylor. Premiers Dec 4th www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiUV...
Listen/watch this science-meets-storytelling podcast about the weird, brilliant, & surprisingly dramatic lives of birds. Hosted by evolutionary biologist Scott Taylor. Premiers Dec 4th www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiUV...
Podcast Trailer — Okay, But Birds…
Okay, But Birds… is a weekly science-meets-storytelling podcast hosted by evolutionary biologist Dr. Scott Taylor. Each episode dives into one weird-but-true bird question through smart, funny…
www.youtube.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:27 PM
"Okay, But… Birds" 🐦🦆🐣 🦉🦜🦩
Listen/watch this science-meets-storytelling podcast about the weird, brilliant, & surprisingly dramatic lives of birds. Hosted by evolutionary biologist Scott Taylor. Premiers Dec 4th www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiUV...
Listen/watch this science-meets-storytelling podcast about the weird, brilliant, & surprisingly dramatic lives of birds. Hosted by evolutionary biologist Scott Taylor. Premiers Dec 4th www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiUV...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Happy to share new research, just out in Ecology @esajournals.bsky.social, led by Meghan Beatty.
We interrogate source-sink dynamics over a 28-year period for the endangered snail kite, testing how an invasion of novel prey alters dynamics...
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
We interrogate source-sink dynamics over a 28-year period for the endangered snail kite, testing how an invasion of novel prey alters dynamics...
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
November 18, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Happy to share new research, just out in Ecology @esajournals.bsky.social, led by Meghan Beatty.
We interrogate source-sink dynamics over a 28-year period for the endangered snail kite, testing how an invasion of novel prey alters dynamics...
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
We interrogate source-sink dynamics over a 28-year period for the endangered snail kite, testing how an invasion of novel prey alters dynamics...
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
For your consideration, our paper about how we can build a better error culture around biologging is now out in Animal Behavio(u)r. A collaborative effort between researchers the veterinarians at @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Burden of a failed error culture in biologging
Driven by technological advancement and low cost, biologging has rapidly transformed the study of animal behaviour and ecology, providing unprecedente…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:47 AM
For your consideration, our paper about how we can build a better error culture around biologging is now out in Animal Behavio(u)r. A collaborative effort between researchers the veterinarians at @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Going to be a big month for warbler science! First out of the gates is @lannhiphung.bsky.social, with song & genomics of Nashville warblers. Eastern and western subspecies: non-overlapping and super distinct. Keep an eye on your life list 😉
🦉🧪@journal-evo.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
🦉🧪@journal-evo.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
November 17, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Going to be a big month for warbler science! First out of the gates is @lannhiphung.bsky.social, with song & genomics of Nashville warblers. Eastern and western subspecies: non-overlapping and super distinct. Keep an eye on your life list 😉
🦉🧪@journal-evo.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
🦉🧪@journal-evo.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Trends in nonbreeding shorebirds along the Pacific Americas Flyway | doi.org/10.1093/orni... | Ornithological Applications | #ornithology 🪶
November 14, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Trends in nonbreeding shorebirds along the Pacific Americas Flyway | doi.org/10.1093/orni... | Ornithological Applications | #ornithology 🪶
Reposted by Nathan Senner
A couple takeaways from this story:
1. In the tropics, the proportion of non-migrant colliders is higher
2. Structures close to forests tend to kill inter-forest dispersers in the tropics
3. There are a lot of "Dr Tan"s studying birds in Singapore.
1. In the tropics, the proportion of non-migrant colliders is higher
2. Structures close to forests tend to kill inter-forest dispersers in the tropics
3. There are a lot of "Dr Tan"s studying birds in Singapore.
Sigh....
"A bus stop in Dairy Farm Road, which is located near Singapore’s green “heart”, recently claimed several avian victims as multiple birds were seen flying into its clear panels."
#Singapore #Birds #Collisions
@mangrovepitta.bsky.social
"A bus stop in Dairy Farm Road, which is located near Singapore’s green “heart”, recently claimed several avian victims as multiple birds were seen flying into its clear panels."
#Singapore #Birds #Collisions
@mangrovepitta.bsky.social
At least five birds spotted crashing into clear panels at Dairy Farm bus stop within 24 hours
Experts say such collisions could happen as birds may not be able to perceive glass as a barrier. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.
www.straitstimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:33 PM
A couple takeaways from this story:
1. In the tropics, the proportion of non-migrant colliders is higher
2. Structures close to forests tend to kill inter-forest dispersers in the tropics
3. There are a lot of "Dr Tan"s studying birds in Singapore.
1. In the tropics, the proportion of non-migrant colliders is higher
2. Structures close to forests tend to kill inter-forest dispersers in the tropics
3. There are a lot of "Dr Tan"s studying birds in Singapore.
Reposted by Nathan Senner
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 1:03 AM
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
Reposted by Nathan Senner
‘Endowed Chair of Ornithology’ jobs don’t come along too often, but here’s one: umiami.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMFacu...
College of A&S - Biology - FAC - Robert E. Maytag Chair of Ornithology - Associate Professor to Professor
Current Employees: If you are a current Staff, Faculty or Temporary employee at the University of Miami, please click here to log in to Workday to use the internal application process. To learn how to...
umiami.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:05 PM
‘Endowed Chair of Ornithology’ jobs don’t come along too often, but here’s one: umiami.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMFacu...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
How are Pacific NW mountain birds responding to climate change?
I got up at 4:00 am for a month to find out.
but first the backstory, or "how I spent seven years telling everyone this project wasn't possible"
new paper here:
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
I got up at 4:00 am for a month to find out.
but first the backstory, or "how I spent seven years telling everyone this project wasn't possible"
new paper here:
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
November 12, 2025 at 4:22 PM
How are Pacific NW mountain birds responding to climate change?
I got up at 4:00 am for a month to find out.
but first the backstory, or "how I spent seven years telling everyone this project wasn't possible"
new paper here:
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
I got up at 4:00 am for a month to find out.
but first the backstory, or "how I spent seven years telling everyone this project wasn't possible"
new paper here:
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Nathan Senner
🐺 Advantageous snow conditions – in terms of snow depth and density – are among the most important features of the winter landscape for two apex predators, regardless of hunting strategy.
Read the full paper here ➡️ buff.ly/pXSMNRK
Read the full paper here ➡️ buff.ly/pXSMNRK
November 7, 2025 at 1:01 PM
🐺 Advantageous snow conditions – in terms of snow depth and density – are among the most important features of the winter landscape for two apex predators, regardless of hunting strategy.
Read the full paper here ➡️ buff.ly/pXSMNRK
Read the full paper here ➡️ buff.ly/pXSMNRK
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Amy Angert and I are recruiting a #postdoc to participate in a collaborative NSF-funded study of demographic responses to climate across the geographic range of the scarlet monkeyflower. Please repost! jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/224...
November 7, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Amy Angert and I are recruiting a #postdoc to participate in a collaborative NSF-funded study of demographic responses to climate across the geographic range of the scarlet monkeyflower. Please repost! jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/224...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
🦢 What a swan’s 570km U-turn could tell us about water, wetlands, and a changing climate.... www.linkedin.com/posts/kane-b...
November 5, 2025 at 9:03 PM
🦢 What a swan’s 570km U-turn could tell us about water, wetlands, and a changing climate.... www.linkedin.com/posts/kane-b...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
I am recruting a #postdoc for a project investigating the evolution of avian heat tolerance in @erc.europa.eu project #HotLife. Fieldwork over broad latitudinal gradients, common-garden experiments, and more. Read more and apply👇
shorturl.at/WA1Qa
Would appreciate a re-post!
@evoldir.bsky.social
shorturl.at/WA1Qa
Would appreciate a re-post!
@evoldir.bsky.social
November 5, 2025 at 8:38 AM
I am recruting a #postdoc for a project investigating the evolution of avian heat tolerance in @erc.europa.eu project #HotLife. Fieldwork over broad latitudinal gradients, common-garden experiments, and more. Read more and apply👇
shorturl.at/WA1Qa
Would appreciate a re-post!
@evoldir.bsky.social
shorturl.at/WA1Qa
Would appreciate a re-post!
@evoldir.bsky.social
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Warning. ⚠️ If you are writing an NSF GRFP, new this year, you need official transcripts to apply. Beware. They will not review applications without official transcripts. ‼️
November 4, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Warning. ⚠️ If you are writing an NSF GRFP, new this year, you need official transcripts to apply. Beware. They will not review applications without official transcripts. ‼️
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Want your modelling to save birds? PhD with me at UvA (Amsterdam): build spatial integrated population model for black-tailed godwits with world-class dataset and strong team here & @birdeyes-gfn.bsky.social/RUG). werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies... Apply by 1 Dec 2025: #Ecology #Bayesian #Conservation
November 4, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Want your modelling to save birds? PhD with me at UvA (Amsterdam): build spatial integrated population model for black-tailed godwits with world-class dataset and strong team here & @birdeyes-gfn.bsky.social/RUG). werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies... Apply by 1 Dec 2025: #Ecology #Bayesian #Conservation
Reposted by Nathan Senner
"Regrettably, and despite the null hypothesis being simple, elegant and often underpinned by evidenced or reasoned convictions, conventional p-value analysis can only argue against the null hypothesis, never in favour of it."
Saying ‘no’ with confidence: statistical approaches to test for the absence of an effect | Biology Letters
Publishing non-significant findings is essential for the progress of science. However,
many of us forget that ‘absence of evidence is not evidence of absence’ and believe
that a statistically non-sign...
doi.org
November 2, 2025 at 7:55 AM
"Regrettably, and despite the null hypothesis being simple, elegant and often underpinned by evidenced or reasoned convictions, conventional p-value analysis can only argue against the null hypothesis, never in favour of it."
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Very happy to finally have this out! 🎉 A review of the diets of European insectivorous birds. Huge thanks to Klaus Birkhofer, @johanekroos.bsky.social, @henrikgsmith.bsky.social and all co-authors! 🙏 #ornithology @biologylu.bsky.social @vogelwarte.bsky.social @helsinki.fi doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...
October 29, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Very happy to finally have this out! 🎉 A review of the diets of European insectivorous birds. Huge thanks to Klaus Birkhofer, @johanekroos.bsky.social, @henrikgsmith.bsky.social and all co-authors! 🙏 #ornithology @biologylu.bsky.social @vogelwarte.bsky.social @helsinki.fi doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Incredible paper - Genomic architecture of eggmimicry and its consequencesfor speciation in parasitic cuckoos www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.... and a great commentary here www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.... @btobirds.bsky.social
Genomic architecture of egg mimicry and its consequences for speciation in parasitic cuckoos
Host-parasite arms races facilitate rapid evolution and can fuel speciation. Cuculus cuckoos are deceptive egg mimics that exhibit a broad diversity of counterfeit egg phenotypes, representing host-ad...
www.science.org
October 31, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Incredible paper - Genomic architecture of eggmimicry and its consequencesfor speciation in parasitic cuckoos www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.... and a great commentary here www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.... @btobirds.bsky.social
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Here's my latest contribution to the "Lost Science" series at the New York Times: Jay Falk, a scientist who studies why some female hummingbirds look just like males. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qF7Qje
October 30, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Here's my latest contribution to the "Lost Science" series at the New York Times: Jay Falk, a scientist who studies why some female hummingbirds look just like males. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qF7Qje
Reposted by Nathan Senner
To reduce negative impacts of #renewables (eg #windenergy) on migrating birds, we need to know *where* and how *high* they fly. Using weather radar, we mapped 6yrs of nocturnal migration over the Netherlands, revealing patterns we can use to avoid and minimize impacts:
doi.org/10.1016/j.je... 🧪🪶
doi.org/10.1016/j.je... 🧪🪶
October 30, 2025 at 12:58 PM
To reduce negative impacts of #renewables (eg #windenergy) on migrating birds, we need to know *where* and how *high* they fly. Using weather radar, we mapped 6yrs of nocturnal migration over the Netherlands, revealing patterns we can use to avoid and minimize impacts:
doi.org/10.1016/j.je... 🧪🪶
doi.org/10.1016/j.je... 🧪🪶
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Our new @nature.com shows that energy flows mediated by mammals and birds across sub-Saharan Africa have declined by >30% unevenly across functional groups, with major consequences ecosystem functions
shorturl.at/AD0Yb
shorturl.at/AD0Yb
October 29, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Our new @nature.com shows that energy flows mediated by mammals and birds across sub-Saharan Africa have declined by >30% unevenly across functional groups, with major consequences ecosystem functions
shorturl.at/AD0Yb
shorturl.at/AD0Yb
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Listen to our recent work, published in Heredity!
🎙️ New podcast!
We often hear that invasive species are bad for ecosystems they invade, but the consequences can seem fuzzy.
We hear from @naikasanuchara.bsky.social and @carolboggs.bsky.social about their study system, where an invasive plant has very tangible effects for a native butterfly.
We often hear that invasive species are bad for ecosystems they invade, but the consequences can seem fuzzy.
We hear from @naikasanuchara.bsky.social and @carolboggs.bsky.social about their study system, where an invasive plant has very tangible effects for a native butterfly.
October 29, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Listen to our recent work, published in Heredity!