Co-BreeD (Cooperative Breeding Database)

4/4 The good news is that Co-BreeD is an updatable resource & once we reach 140 followers, we will post an updated, more accurate estimation! So, like, share & follow!
Download the full database: zenodo.org/records/1469...

3/4 Cooperative breeders are currently over-represented in Co-BreeD (see paper). Yet, Co-BreeD has already identified more cooperative breeding mammals than reported in previous datasets (i.e. >57). So previous estimates are likely very much underestimated. The question is how much...

2/4 This is the % of species with at least 1 population exhibiting a systematic & unambiguous form of alloparental care out of the total number of species included in the Co-BreeD dataset.
If the % of cooperative breeders looks exaggerated to you, it is not for nothing (📸 @nataliekes.bsky.social)

1/4 To celebrate our 120th follower, we introduce the “cooperative breeding gauge”: measuring the % of cooperatively breeding species in Co-BreeD. It now presents the very initial % of cooperatively from our 1st published Co-BreeD dataset besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Fabulous @anticac.bsky.social wrote a beautiful highlight on our first #Co-BreeD dataset. She was also worried about how often Co-BreeD would be updated. Well, time will tell, but meanwhile, the second dataset about #allonursing (& update) is already under review ;)

Suckling and allosuckling behavior in wild giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) Allosuckling has been reported in many mammalian species. In giraffe, allosuckling has been observed in captivity, and the milk theft hypothesis with …

See Suckling and allosuckling behavior in wild giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi)
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Not sure. Probably was trying his/her luck... Giraffe caves do this...

Right, see the alt text for these images. Also, Co-BreeD curates parental care data on all bird and mammal species, regardless of whether they are cooperative breeders or not.

Masai giraffe rejects a nursing attempt by a non-filial calf.

Masai giraffe rejects a nursing attempt by a non-filial calf.

The Co-BreeD dataset on AlloNursing was just submitted! It provides complementary data about allonursing for all 324 species previously included in Co-BreeD (besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....) & adds >45 new species! 🐒 🐳🐐 Follow for updates…

How many cooperatively breeding bird & mammal species are there?
Co-BreeD constantly works to get a more accurate estimation for this question. We will now start sharing updated estimations in return for new followers!
So help us get the 120th follower (= share!) & we will post our first estimation!

How Co-BreeD can change how we see cooperation in animals This blog post is provided by Maike Woith and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article “An integrative, peer-reviewed and open-source cooperative-breeding database (Co-BreeD)”, wh…

Check out the story behind our work on Co-BreeD, written by fabulous @maikewoith.bsky.social and published as a blog in @animalecology.bsky.social
animalecologyinfocus.com/2025/11/11/h...

Thanks! ;)

6/6 We invite field researchers to submit data on parental care in ANY wild population of ANY bird and mammal species and/or to offer corrections. We offer FAIR co-authorship for data contributors! Email Yitzchak Ben Mocha yitzchakbm@gmail.com
@benmocha.bsky.social
Data: zenodo.org/records/1469...

5/6 Using Co-BreeD’s comprehensive data, we suggest that cooperative breeding is considerably more prevalent in birds and mammals than previously estimated (illustration @nataliekes.bsky.social) @anavleitao.bsky.social @miyawarrington.bsky.social
@michael-griesser.bsky.social

4/6 Yes, no, maybe? Quantitative estimates enable studying cooperative breeding as a continuous trait (bottom panel), rather than a binary one (upper panel), and demonstrate the ample variation in cooperative breeding across and within species @maikewoith.bsky.social
@claire-doutrelant.bsky.social

3/6 Linkage of each biological estimate to its exact sampling period and location enables linkage to unprecedented fine-tuned climatic and environmental data @odedkeynan.bsky.social @linde-makuya.bsky.social @dustinrubenstein.com
@carsten-schradin.bsky.social @andyradford.bsky.social

2/6 Co-BreeD is designed to include complementary datasets (e.g. % of breeding with alloparents, allonursing). It currently includes 501 samples from 460 populations of 324 species. This sample-based structure allows examining within-species & even within-population variation in cooperative breeding

An integrative, peer‐reviewed and open‐source cooperative‐breeding database (Co‐BreeD) Co-BreeD is the first updatable and open-source database dedicated to cooperative breeding. It enables continuous, non-binary measurement of cooperative breeding, transforming how we study breeding s....

1/6 The Cooperative-Breeding Database (Co-BreeD) is alive! Co-BreeD covers key biological parameters relevant to cooperative breeding research in birds and mammals. Get your copy of this updateable & open-access database: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@animalecology.bsky.social

The Cooperative Breeding Database has a logo!
Hopefully, the first dataset on the prevalence of breeding events with alloparents across bird and mammal populations will be made public soon!
Made by nataliekes.bsky.social

Collaboration 📣🐘🐦
@co-breed.bsky.social seeks expert/s in phylogenetically controlled comparative analyses
The deal: we provide state-of-the-art data on alloparental care (>350 populations of bird & mammal sp.)
You do the stat
All write the (many) manuscripts
Yitzchak Ben Mocha: yitzchakbm@gmail.com

Stay tuned for the first Co-BreeD dataset that should be published in mid-2025 with state-of-the-art data on >200 cooperative breeding birds and mammals!

8/8 Last, but not least, we emphasise that HUMANS are COOPERATIVE BREEDERS and, therefore, studying cooperative breeding species is a key to understanding the evolution of our own species!

7/8 To facilitate cooperative breeding research, we provide several supporting datasets, including the prevalence of social groups with potential alloparents in 138 populations of 88 mammal and bird species.

6/8 We conclude by presenting an inclusive operational definition that considers all species with systematic and proactive alloparental care as cooperative breeders.

5/8 We analysed data on alloparental care to suggest qualitative and quantitative criteria for what type, extent & prevalence of alloparental care should be required to classify species as cooperative breeders.

4/8 We show that definitions that restrict cooperative breeding to species with non-breeding alloparents never set distinct criteria for what "non-breeding" means. If they would, they would end up with only a few (~23) mammal and bird species qualified as cooperative breeders...

3/8 We identify 2 major inconsistencies in definitions of cooperative breeding:
A) Should it be restricted to species with non-breeding alloparents or not?
B) What type & prevalence of alloparental care is required to classify species as cooperative breeders?

2/8 These disagreements have a HUGE effect on the results of meta-analyses testing the relationship between cooperative breeding and, for example, monogamy, habitat structure or communicative complexity...

What is cooperative breeding in mammals and birds? Removing definitional barriers for comparative research Cooperative breeding (i.e. when alloparents care for the offspring of other group members) has been studied for nearly a century. Yet, inconsistent definitions of this breeding system still hamper co...

1/8 First Co-BreeD publication:
Think you know what is cooperative breeding in mammals and birds? Think again...
Our Biological Reviews paper demonstrates only moderate agreement between different datasets classifing same species as cooperative breeders or not
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....