Special thanks to my on-site team: @raulogomez-uba.bsky.social @jcr55.bsky.social Alicia de la Colina, Florencia Foitzick, Nínive Paes Cavalcante & Sebastián M. Santiago; and to the the supporting institutions: EGE-FCEN-UBA, IEGEBA-CONICET, Aves Argentinas, Agencia I+D+i, Fundación Temaikèn 🥰

It was such an incredible, enriching, and fun experience — I learned so much ❤️ So thankful to the amazing leadership team who welcomed me! @drrmiller.bsky.social @vedranaslipogor.bsky.social @nomascus.bsky.social @stephanreber.bsky.social @cds-york.bsky.social Megan Lambert & Claudia Mettke-Hofmann

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!

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

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.

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.

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)

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? 🐧🦅

I didn't know. Great, thank you!! What an honor ☺️

Hi Ondrej, I would like to be added please. Thank you!

Mechanical problem solving by plush-crested #jays with @jimeloism.bsky.social
dx.doi.org/10.1007/s100...

Hi Drew, I would like to be added please. Thanks!

A las urracas sobre todo! jaja