Stefan Stanescu

Had a lovely time talking cognition and ecology (and putting my French skills to the test) at the Société Québécoise pour l'Étude Biologique du Comportement this weekend :) ⚜️

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 species across 25 orders, identifying phylogenetic influences and broad ecological drivers of neophobia.

New paper with 129 collaborators from 82 institutions in 24 countries across six continents, five of these are Animal Cognition Research Groups members! dx.plos.org/10.1371/...

@ba-whittaker.bsky.social @psychualberta.bsky.social

Chickening out: Why some birds fear novelty The largest-ever study on neophobia, or fear of novelty, has discovered the key reasons why some bird species are more fearful of new things than others.

Bird species with specialized diets and migratory habits tend to show higher fear of novelty, a stable trait that may influence their adaptability to environmental change. doi.org/g96v62

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 ...

New paper on fear of novelty in birds: 129 collaborators, 82 institutions, 24 countries, and 6 continents! 5 from the lab of Dr @laurenguillette.bsky.social

(also featuring Connor Lambert, Stefan Stanescu, Karen Yeung, and Dr Ben Whittaker) @ba-whittaker.bsky.social

dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...