Behavioral Ecology

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Social and ecological factors associated with innovation in urban sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita)
#SmartBird #ProblemSolving #UrbanEnvironments

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Last year, J. Endler published an inspiring essay in @behavecol.bsky.social on what we should be doing as behavioral ecologists 👉 doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araf029. According to him, "we need to put Ecology back into Behavioural Ecology: we need to make a lot more use of Natural History" (1/5)

In a follow-up essay (also in @behavecol.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araf125), P. Guevara-Fiore wrote about what it means to turn to Natural history in practice, particularly for scientists working in countries with limited research capacity and Early Career Researchers. (2/5)

A cross-taxonomic explanatory framework for mobbing behavior
#Framework #AntiPredatorBehaviour

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

a herd of deer are grazing in a snowy field . ALT: a herd of deer are grazing in a snowy field .

Landscapes of fearlessness revealed through hormonal responses to putatively risky places
#RiskRewardTradeoff #Mammal #HabitatUse

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

It always feels special to see your study system on the cover of a journal! This time, the photo on the cover relates to a recent study led by L. Schlippe investigating whether the fungus that affects frogs worldwide interferes with their defensive coloration @klivvvienna.bsky.social
📸: M. Mayer

Need something new to read? 📢 Here is the first issue of Behavioral Ecology in 2026: academic.oup.com/beheco/issue...

#AnimalBehavior #Ecology #Behaviour

Effects of seed mass on seed foraging behaviors of two sympatric rodent species
#SeedPredation #AcornMass #Rodents

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

The oviposition of unfertilized eggs depends on the presence of potential mates in a kissing bug
#Invertebrate #Reproduction

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

We are pleased to announce a new section of @behavecol.bsky.social, Replication Studies, introduced to ensure the validity of research and help researchers shape robust theories on animal behaviors.

Learn more about this new section and how you can contribute: oxford.ly/4aHxDA5

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Reactions of captive adult great tits toward aposematic prey: effects of personality
#IndividualVariation #AnimalPersonality #Birds

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

The value of close replications and how to get more of them: interview with Kate Laskowski Welcome to our latest interview with the author of a recent interesting paper. Today’s interview was conducted by email with behavioral ecologist Kate Laskowski, first author ofLaskowski et a…

Stoked about the new Replication Studies section in Behavioral Ecology? Me too!

Jeremy Fox over at Dynamic Ecology interviewed me about our recent commentary on this topic and I'd love to hear the community's thoughts!

dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2026/02/17/t...

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Chemical cues facilitate foraging across the water-land interface in a resident predatory fish
#TransitionalEcosystems #SensoryProcessing #MorayEel

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Personality variation in a marine snail and heterogeneous selection in natural populations
#AnimalPersonality #Invertebrate #NaturalSelection

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Replication studies: a win-win for early-career training and behavioral ecology Replicating previous research builds confidence that results are real and meaningful. But close replications are rare due to limitations in resources and d

How do we know our research results are REAL? We replicate them! Most folks agree but lament on how hard it is to publish these replications.

My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/

academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...

Bravo Behavioral Ecology!

@behavecol.bsky.social

📢 Check out the most recent Issue in Volume 36 of Behavioral Ecology here: academic.oup.com/beheco/issue...

#AnimalBehavior #Ecology #Behaviour

Territoriality, sociality and male weaponry shape horn investment in female bovids
#Competition #Mammal

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

A photo I took in Monterey Bay was on the cover of @behavecol.bsky.social in late 2025! Killer whales are 1 of many case studies explored in our paper "Integrating space, time, and culture in animal conservation practice". tinyurl.com/2pnx2k36 Excited about more ongoing culture + ecology work...

Duration of nest-building in passerine birds: the roles of latitude, nest size, and nest type
#AvianBreeding #Birds #Evolution

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Far-reaching consequences of trait preferences for animal social network structure and function
#Sociality #BiologicalModelling

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Dominance asymmetries shape vocal exchanges in meerkats Meerkats use more than physical grooming to manage their social relationships. They exchange short calls while warming in the sun that affect group members

So, it turns out that even a simple morning 'Hello' 👋can be the glue that helps to hold the group together. The full story is just out in @behavecol.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/beheco/advan...

@cbehav.bsky.social @uni-konstanz.de @livingingroups.bsky.social @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social

Banded mongooses discriminate relatedness and MHC diversity in unfamiliar conspecifics
#SocialCommunication #Olfaction #Recognition

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

A field cricket's solutions to the cocktail party problem in conspecific choruses
#Bioacoustics #Insect #CocktailPartyProblem

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Optimal diving: patch quality, depth, and marginal value
#Foraging #EnvironmentalQuality #Modelling

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Cortisol in mother’s milk across lactation reflects maternal life history and predicts infant temperament Lay Summary. In monkeys, high cortisol and changes in cortisol levels in mother’s milk are associated with more nervous and less confident infants. Sons ar

'Cortisol in mother’s milk across lactation reflects maternal life history and predicts infant temperament.'
Katie Hinde, et al., Behavioral Ecology, @behavecol.bsky.social Volume 26, Issue 1, Jan-Feb 2015, Pages 269–281, @academic.oup.com.
💪 Outstanding research!
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...

Causes and consequences of lifetime fitness variation in male Collared Lizards displaying alternative social ontogenies
#TerritorialLongevity #MaleFitness #Lizard #Reptile

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

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Defensive coloration is not a reliable indicator of fungal infection in aposematic poison frogs
#ColScie #Pigmentation #Amphibian #Frog

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Long-term evaluation of the association between dominance, bib size, sex and age
#DominanceStatus #PasserineBird

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Formatted version out at last! “Defensive colouration is not a reliable indicator of 🍄 infection in aposematic poison 🐸” academic.oup.com/beheco/artic... @klivvvienna.bsky.social @behavecol.bsky.social
👩🏻‍🔬🧪