Joseph A. Tobias | Lightnews

Joseph Tobias

@josephtobias.bsky.social

3.3K followers 640 following 700 posts

Birds, biodiversity, evolutionary biology, macroecology, conservation biology, ecosystem science, sustainable development, world birding, and other stuff. He/him
More at http://www.tobiaslab.net

Videos

Environmental science 42%

Biology 24%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · 14h

If you're sure that there was pale on the bill and face then presumably you're right. Pochard would of course be far more likely, but recent Canvasback records in S England mean it's worth checking carefully

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · 14h

Perhaps it's just a misleading photo in poor light but the head/bill shape looks more reminiscent of canvasback than pochard. Do you have other photos of same bird?

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · 15h

Looks like female Canvasback? Where was this?

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias

Marius Somveille @marius-somveille.bsky.social · 1d

Why is there such variation in the birds encountered as you go up or down a mountain? New paper in #ScienceAdvances examines how climate and ecological interactions drive bird distributions in mountains throughout the year:

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

1/10 ⬇️

Climate, ecological dynamics, and the seasonal distribution of birds in mountains

Ecological dynamics related to energy use and competition drives the seasonal distribution of birds in mountains across the world.

www.science.org

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · 3d

Thanks, Ralph! I have a lab member working in the bird collection at Tring right now. I don’t think they’ll be able to finish all 13500 bulbul specimens in there! But we’ll do as many as possible. (I’m based Oxford/London)

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · 3d

Very kind offer, Michael. I can supply all those needs to get you up and running if there are enough specimens to make it worthwile. Is there any way of finding out how many Pycnonotidae specs the Hancock has?

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · 4d

Coarse categorisation is definitely an issue. I think we’re a long way from refined social traits at macro scales for birds but hopefully better datasets will develop over time. 🤞

Reposted by Matthias Schleuning

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · 4d

🚨 For those with access to collections of bird specimens: we are looking for collaborators who can quickly measure bulbuls/greenbuls (Pycnonotidae) for a project on intraspecific trait variation. We need 100s specimens measured from common species in return for co-authorship. Anyone up for it? 🧪🌐🪶

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · 4d

Great stuff, Ben, and clearly reflects real patterns in that part of the world. On the other hand, if you did a ton of playbacks in Australia, S Africa, Argentina etc. I think you would see effect of latitude weaken and be outcompeted by social traits associated with stable climates/resources.

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias, Jonathan A. Myers

Santiago Claramunt @sclaramunt.bsky.social · 4d

📣 Grad student wanted
PhD position in avian evolution, with emphasis on phylogenetics, macroevolution, Neotropical radiations, flight and dispersal.
Based at the University of New Orleans (soon to be LSU New Orleans).
Start: September 2026.
Contact me if interested.
claramuntlab.org

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias, James M. Bullock, Lesley A. Hall

Clare Kelly @clarekelly.bsky.social · 4d

Chatbots offer a magnificent bribe - a fast, frictionless route to information that bypasses the discomfort of learning. In this op-ed, we describe this as a Faustian bargain, in which we trade away what it means to be human & universities trade away their value
www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Learning is complex, messy, emotional: AI can’t replicate that

ChatGPT and other AI tools may seem irresistible. But educators should beware, as they could end up trading away the thing that gives them value — the rich experience of slow learning

www.irishexaminer.com

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias, Richard D. Gregory, Stephen D. Murphy , and 4 more Joseph A. Tobias, Richard D. Gregory, Stephen D. Murphy, Romain Lorrillière, Joan Dudney, Neil A. Gilbert, Samuele Ramellini

Birds of the World | The Cornell Lab @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social · 14d

MAJOR NEWS! We just launched an awesome new tool! The illustrated Birds of the World Phylogeny Explorer lets users trace any bird’s lineage, compare species relationships, and explore major evolutionary milestones with a click of a button. SHARE and EXPLORE! birdsoftheworld.org/bow/news/phy...

IMAGE SHOWS GRAPHIC OF CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY PHYLOGENY EXPLORER TOOL.

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · 29d

Hi Juliana, this is a great paper. Congrats!
It looks like there is a remarkable geographical mix in the lice phylogeny. Closely related lice lineages often occur on bird species living in different continents. How would you explain that pattern and doesn't it greatly increase uncertainty?

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Jan 10

Fascinating stuff. And great to see our data on wing bone length and wing area being put to good use 👍

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Jan 9

I think Bearded improves the name, although strictly speaking it should be Moustached!

I’d hate it if the Bearded Mountaineer was renamed to just Mountaineer. Would be a tragedy. At least that incredible hummingbird actually has a beard

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Jan 9

Another vote for ‘reedling’. Bearded tit is a joke of a name to non-birders, and this special bird deserves a historically/taxonomically/ecologically informative name

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Jan 8

Arguably they will never need to as Ai will write for them. Sad but true. We aren’t going to stop it. I agree that this will damage their ability to think and process information. More hand-written tests is one way, and marking down for ‘generic writing’ or ‘no personal voice’ (which is what I do)

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Jan 8

Agree that computer-based writing is no longer viable as coursework. I’m trying to figure out ways of teaching students how to work with, critically appraise and learn from ai-generated horseshit. Apart from that, verbal, practical and hand-written exams/coursework is our only solution

Reposted by Vojtěch Brlík, Samuele Ramellini

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Jan 8

A data collection mission that began in 2012 is finally released as AVONICHE.

Designed as a companion to AVONET bird trait database and updated to Avilist taxonomy, it’s an Open Access dataset providing updated diets and a detailed breakdown of foraging behaviours used by all bird species.

🪶🌐

Ferran Sayol @ferransayol.bsky.social · Jan 8

New paper out! 🐦📊

We realease AVONICHE, a global dataset with detailed information on the proportional use of 32 foraging niches, combining dietary categories with the behaviours and substrates used to access resources.

Openly access the paper and data in GEB: doi.org/10.1111/geb....

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias, Samuele Ramellini

Ferran Sayol @ferransayol.bsky.social · Jan 8

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Dec 24

I was wondering the same thing. I can also imagine some less interesting reasons, including a few samples with poor DNA quality, failure to amplify W-linked fragment, contamination, amplification artefacts, sample mislabelling etc. Looking forward to seeing more direct tests of this result.

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias, Patrick A. Jansen, Martin Ehbrecht , and 2 more Joseph A. Tobias, Patrick A. Jansen, Martin Ehbrecht, Maximilian Hanusch, Benjamin Wildermuth

Matthias Schleuning @mschleuning.bsky.social · Dec 5

Seed dispersal by 🦜🦇 underpins rainforest recovery. We want to understand more about its timing + traits driving recovery through obs, exp + genomic data. Ready to join the @reassemblynet.bsky.social team working in Ecuadorian Chocó? Pls apply to our 4-yr PhD position @sgn.one: tinyurl.com/2pkryc99

A recovering patch of rainforest in Ecuadorian Chocó, picture by Eike Lena Neuschulz

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias, Ricardo Rocha, Jesse R. Lasky , and 1 more Joseph A. Tobias, Ricardo Rocha, Jesse R. Lasky, Juliano Sarmento Cabral

Alexander Lees @alexanderlees.bsky.social · Dec 2

Huge News from the Western Amazon: it's the year 2025 and we are still describing entirely new, strikingly-distinctive large-bodied bird species! Behold Tinamus resonans sp. nov. the Slaty-masked Tinamou mapress.com/zt/article/v... #Ornithology @tetzoo.bsky.social 🪶

Photo montage of Tinamus resonans sp. nov., a new species of tinamou from the montane forests of the Serra do Divisor, western Amazonia, Brazil. The species is distinguished by a unique combination of plumage pattern, vocal repertoire, and ecological characteristics, including a conspicuous dark slate facial mask, vivid rufous-cinnamon underparts, and a uniform brownish-gray back. Its vocalizations are remarkable, consisting of long and powerful songs that echo strikingly across the steep montane slopes, producing a characteristic resonant effect. The species was documented exclusively at higher elevations within a transitional zone between submontane and stunted forests, where the understory is densely structured by root mats. A preliminary population estimate, based on field detections and spatial extrapolation, suggests approximately 2,106 individuals restricted to the Serra do Divisor massif. Although no immediate anthropogenic pressures were observed within its range, the species may be highly vulnerable to climate change and to proposed infrastructure projects that threaten the integrity of this federally protected region. The discovery of T. resonans highlights the biological uniqueness of the Serra do Divisor, reinforces its status as a center of montane endemism, and underscores the critical importance of maintaining its long-term conservation.

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Nov 29

Pretty obvious AI in this case but it's getting tougher to tell. Huge problems ahead for anyone assessing rare bird records 😬

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias

Andy Purvis @andypurvisnhm.bsky.social · Nov 27

Lovely link-up between @josephtobias.bsky.social's #Avonet and the #PredictsProject, with @nhm.org's @patrickawalkden.bsky.social among the authors

Nature @nature.com · Nov 27

Alterations in land use are found to leave bird communities with fewer backup species for key ecological roles

go.nature.com/4onlgOz

Land-use changes threaten the safety net for birds

Alterations in land use are found to leave bird communities with fewer backup species for key ecological roles, making ecosystems vulnerable to further species loss.

go.nature.com

Reposted by Andy Purvis

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Nov 27

Although the title misses the point by a long way. It's not the "safety net for birds" that is at stake here, but the "safety net provided by birds" - the resilience of ecological functions supporting the whole ecosystem.

As touched on here: www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article...

Global bird study reveals declining ecosystem resilience

Human-driven changes to landscapes worldwide are ‘thinning out’ the ecological services supplied by wild birds, eroding the functions tha...

www.imperial.ac.uk

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Nov 27

A useful News & Views accompanying the article - www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Land-use changes threaten the safety net for birds

Alterations in land use are found to leave bird communities with fewer backup species for key ecological roles, making ecosystems vulnerable to further species loss.

www.nature.com

Reposted by Graeme S. Cumming, Joseph A. Tobias, Juan Rocha , and 3 more Graeme S. Cumming, Joseph A. Tobias, Juan Rocha, David Leclère, Ricardo Rocha, Tommaso Jucker

Andy Purvis @andypurvisnhm.bsky.social · Nov 27

Land-use change undermines the stability of avian functional diversity - new #OA @nature.com paper with @patrickawalkden.bsky.social @josephtobias.bsky.social, combining #PredictsProject with #Avonet doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Land-use change undermines the stability of avian functional diversity - Nature

Large-scale analyses of bird species traits reveal that land-use change reduces resilience of key ecological functions more than previously thought.

doi.org

Reposted by Joseph A. Tobias

Marcel Cardillo @marcelcardillo.bsky.social · Nov 26

Online now: Forecasting extinction risk for future-proof conservation decisions.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Should conservation focus on threatened species? Or should we be proactive and protect species before they become threatened? This paper explores how to get the balance right.

Conceptual framework for extinction risk forecasting that outlines key elements and tradeoffs associated with forecasting on different time horizons.

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Nov 21

This was an amazing workshop bringing together a wide range of perspectives. Thanks to the funders and everyone involved. Looking forward to next steps! 🌿🪶🌐

Matthias Schleuning @mschleuning.bsky.social · Nov 21

Our @sgn.one workshop organized together with @josephtobias.bsky.social and Susanne Fritz was enlightening, fun and will surely lead to many future interactions and outputs on how plant/animal traits translate into functions. Thanks to all for your excellent ideas and very respectful discussions! 🌐

All the happy participants of the traits workshop in the garden of the venue at Bad Homburg

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