Benjamin Freeman
@benjaminfreeman.bsky.social
Biologist. Mountain Bird Lab PI. Climate change. Species interactions. Asst Prof @GeorgiaTech. #RapYourAbstract #MountainBirdNetwork
Pinned
How are Pacific NW mountain birds responding to climate change?
I got up at 4:00 am for a month to find out.
but first the backstory, or "how I spent seven years telling everyone this project wasn't possible"
new paper here:
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
I got up at 4:00 am for a month to find out.
but first the backstory, or "how I spent seven years telling everyone this project wasn't possible"
new paper here:
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
body mass declines have been widely noted, often attributed to warmer temps
here, a great test of competing hypotheses to explain body mass declines using a ridiculously massive dataset
evidence is that body mass declines arise due to increasing intersp comp over time --- v cool study
here, a great test of competing hypotheses to explain body mass declines using a ridiculously massive dataset
evidence is that body mass declines arise due to increasing intersp comp over time --- v cool study
Are Great Tits becoming Not So-Great Tits? New preprint from @davididiaquez.bsky.social et al. documenting decline in mass of adult Great Tits in @wythamwoods.bsky.social of ~1 s.d. over 47 years - results from carry-over effect of increased population density during the nestling period. Thread ⬇️
We have published a new pre-print showing a decline in great tit adult and nestling mass of around 1 gram in 47 y. [rate of approx. -0.040 Hadanes] With @ellafcole.bsky.social, @devisatarkar.bsky.social, Sam. Crofts, @mcmahok.bsky.social & @sheldonbirds.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
February 15, 2026 at 6:42 PM
body mass declines have been widely noted, often attributed to warmer temps
here, a great test of competing hypotheses to explain body mass declines using a ridiculously massive dataset
evidence is that body mass declines arise due to increasing intersp comp over time --- v cool study
here, a great test of competing hypotheses to explain body mass declines using a ridiculously massive dataset
evidence is that body mass declines arise due to increasing intersp comp over time --- v cool study
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
Are Great Tits becoming Not So-Great Tits? New preprint from @davididiaquez.bsky.social et al. documenting decline in mass of adult Great Tits in @wythamwoods.bsky.social of ~1 s.d. over 47 years - results from carry-over effect of increased population density during the nestling period. Thread ⬇️
We have published a new pre-print showing a decline in great tit adult and nestling mass of around 1 gram in 47 y. [rate of approx. -0.040 Hadanes] With @ellafcole.bsky.social, @devisatarkar.bsky.social, Sam. Crofts, @mcmahok.bsky.social & @sheldonbirds.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
February 15, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Are Great Tits becoming Not So-Great Tits? New preprint from @davididiaquez.bsky.social et al. documenting decline in mass of adult Great Tits in @wythamwoods.bsky.social of ~1 s.d. over 47 years - results from carry-over effect of increased population density during the nestling period. Thread ⬇️
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
I swear it wasn't on purpose that my latest story ran on Valentine's Day: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/s... 🧪
Constant Sexual Aggression Drives Female Tortoises to Walk Off Cliffs
www.nytimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:57 PM
I swear it wasn't on purpose that my latest story ran on Valentine's Day: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/s... 🧪
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
Getting ready for a really cool community-led monitoring project in shade-grown coffee and cacao farms in Ecuador and Mexico. Quick stop in #ICTC2026 first! #BirdsPlusIndex @abcbirds.bsky.social @wildlifeacoustics.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Getting ready for a really cool community-led monitoring project in shade-grown coffee and cacao farms in Ecuador and Mexico. Quick stop in #ICTC2026 first! #BirdsPlusIndex @abcbirds.bsky.social @wildlifeacoustics.com
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
🪶 We'll post the answer in 24 hours.
February 12, 2026 at 7:01 PM
🪶 We'll post the answer in 24 hours.
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
Some of my favorite Chuck D shirts #DarwinDay #evolution
February 12, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Some of my favorite Chuck D shirts #DarwinDay #evolution
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
OTD 217 year ago, Charles #Darwin was born. Not only one of the most brilliant scientists and thinkers, but an inspiration on the power of knowledge and intellectual bravery. Values that are now more important to cherish than ever. Happy #DarwinDay!!!
February 12, 2026 at 7:55 AM
OTD 217 year ago, Charles #Darwin was born. Not only one of the most brilliant scientists and thinkers, but an inspiration on the power of knowledge and intellectual bravery. Values that are now more important to cherish than ever. Happy #DarwinDay!!!
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
🚨3 Lectureships in Biology 🚨
Come join us in Bristol @bristolbiosci.bsky.social!
We are looking for new collegues working across a broad spectum of topics in biology, including ecology & environmental change. Get in touch if you have Qs!
Apply here by 8 March: www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
Come join us in Bristol @bristolbiosci.bsky.social!
We are looking for new collegues working across a broad spectum of topics in biology, including ecology & environmental change. Get in touch if you have Qs!
Apply here by 8 March: www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
February 12, 2026 at 9:10 AM
🚨3 Lectureships in Biology 🚨
Come join us in Bristol @bristolbiosci.bsky.social!
We are looking for new collegues working across a broad spectum of topics in biology, including ecology & environmental change. Get in touch if you have Qs!
Apply here by 8 March: www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
Come join us in Bristol @bristolbiosci.bsky.social!
We are looking for new collegues working across a broad spectum of topics in biology, including ecology & environmental change. Get in touch if you have Qs!
Apply here by 8 March: www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
Have you ever seen Blue Jays flighting with Crows and be like, I need to record this on eBird? Your comment could help with tracking species interactions! In this piece, we show how LLMs can be used to collect interaction data on large scales from comments on participatory science platforms. 1/3
Large language models unlock the ecology of species interactions https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.06.704115v1
February 11, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Have you ever seen Blue Jays flighting with Crows and be like, I need to record this on eBird? Your comment could help with tracking species interactions! In this piece, we show how LLMs can be used to collect interaction data on large scales from comments on participatory science platforms. 1/3
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
Please repost! We are looking for two field technicians to work on our deer mouse project in the Colorado Rockies this spring-fall. Learn about physiology, ecology, and evolution, all in one project! Not to mention that you get to be in the ⛰️. Reach out if you have any questions.
February 10, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Please repost! We are looking for two field technicians to work on our deer mouse project in the Colorado Rockies this spring-fall. Learn about physiology, ecology, and evolution, all in one project! Not to mention that you get to be in the ⛰️. Reach out if you have any questions.
all right Marius! great job leading this v cool effort to test ideas about elevational migration at global scale
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 ⬇️
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
February 9, 2026 at 4:45 PM
all right Marius! great job leading this v cool effort to test ideas about elevational migration at global scale
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
To test this, we analysed vast amount of #eBird data. We looked at seasonal changes in the elevational distributions of birds - how high in the mountain birds go at different times of year - for nearly 11,000 avian populations across 34 mountain regions worldwide.
5/10
5/10
February 9, 2026 at 1:35 PM
To test this, we analysed vast amount of #eBird data. We looked at seasonal changes in the elevational distributions of birds - how high in the mountain birds go at different times of year - for nearly 11,000 avian populations across 34 mountain regions worldwide.
5/10
5/10
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
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 ⬇️
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
February 9, 2026 at 1:35 PM
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 ⬇️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/10 ⬇️
watching very large very athletic men celebrate their victories by pretending to be birds together is a great thing
go Seahawks!
go Seahawks!
February 9, 2026 at 1:17 PM
watching very large very athletic men celebrate their victories by pretending to be birds together is a great thing
go Seahawks!
go Seahawks!
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
10 out of 10 bug
i love finding out about a new bug we have to get his name out there (toxodera integrifolia)
February 6, 2026 at 5:02 PM
10 out of 10 bug
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
Nice paper out from the lab! With genomics in breeding programs of Red Siskins, they were able to ground-truth genomic estimates of kinship and determine that there were no introgressed canary genes from cross-breeding of pets. So the captive populations are "clean" link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Using genomic tools to evaluate assumptions in a conservation breeding program for endangered red siskins (Spinus cucullatus) - Conservation Genetics
Conservation Genetics - Ex situ conservation breeding programs can provide essential support for recovering endangered species. However, breeding recommendations and strategies may be suboptimal...
link.springer.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Nice paper out from the lab! With genomics in breeding programs of Red Siskins, they were able to ground-truth genomic estimates of kinship and determine that there were no introgressed canary genes from cross-breeding of pets. So the captive populations are "clean" link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
I feel like this is a great time to remind everyone that it's not even technically wrong to say that logistic regression is machine learning
Dawg are you fucking kidding me bsky.app/profile/horm...
February 6, 2026 at 12:02 AM
I feel like this is a great time to remind everyone that it's not even technically wrong to say that logistic regression is machine learning
parent at preschool was giving a bag of Cape Cod potato chips to their kid and my son overheard and now the kids are chanting "Cape Cod Demon Hunters" and this should be a thing
February 6, 2026 at 4:19 PM
parent at preschool was giving a bag of Cape Cod potato chips to their kid and my son overheard and now the kids are chanting "Cape Cod Demon Hunters" and this should be a thing
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. 🪶
February 6, 2026 at 1:41 AM
Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. 🪶
guess who's back, back again. NSF PRFB!
if you want to address interesting problems in global change biology and the ever thorny problem of what limits species' elevational ranges, and are interested in a postdoc, please do reach out.
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
if you want to address interesting problems in global change biology and the ever thorny problem of what limits species' elevational ranges, and are interested in a postdoc, please do reach out.
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)
www.nsf.gov
February 6, 2026 at 1:31 AM
guess who's back, back again. NSF PRFB!
if you want to address interesting problems in global change biology and the ever thorny problem of what limits species' elevational ranges, and are interested in a postdoc, please do reach out.
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
if you want to address interesting problems in global change biology and the ever thorny problem of what limits species' elevational ranges, and are interested in a postdoc, please do reach out.
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
James says he likes lizards best but when I see him on campus he's usually carefully examining the venation patterns on leafs and telling passing students about xylem and phloem
sweet paper Tony + James + Will!
sweet paper Tony + James + Will!
New paper out - fun collaboration with @wcratcliff.bsky.social & led by the wonderful Tony Burnetti! IMO, a rare clear example identifying the mechanism underlying priority effects at macroevolutionary scales. Also, continuing to justify my PhD from a plant lab 🍃
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Priority effects inhibit the repeated evolution of phototrophy - npj Complexity
npj Complexity - Priority effects inhibit the repeated evolution of phototrophy
www.nature.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:28 PM
James says he likes lizards best but when I see him on campus he's usually carefully examining the venation patterns on leafs and telling passing students about xylem and phloem
sweet paper Tony + James + Will!
sweet paper Tony + James + Will!
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
Great job Gunnar and colleagues. This is the frustration and beauty of working with tropical diversity, and it is also the tragedy that we are losing so much diversity before observing and describing it. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Illustrated Catalogue and Phylogenetic Relationships of 330 Species of Arctiinae Moth Species from the Chocó Rainforest in NW Ecuador: Most Species are Undescribed - Neotropical Entomology
Tropical rain forests are the most species rich terrestrial habitats on Earth, but their insect diversity is understudied, and it is unclear how many species are already scientifically described. A mo...
link.springer.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Great job Gunnar and colleagues. This is the frustration and beauty of working with tropical diversity, and it is also the tragedy that we are losing so much diversity before observing and describing it. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
"Saw her in the Amazon
With the voltage runnin' through her skin
Standin' there with nothin' on
She gonna teach me how to swim"
for more about the electric (f)eel, check this primer by Ken Catania ⚡ www.cell.com/current-biol...
(and yes, finally some current biology in Current Biology)
With the voltage runnin' through her skin
Standin' there with nothin' on
She gonna teach me how to swim"
for more about the electric (f)eel, check this primer by Ken Catania ⚡ www.cell.com/current-biol...
(and yes, finally some current biology in Current Biology)
February 5, 2026 at 8:10 AM
"Saw her in the Amazon
With the voltage runnin' through her skin
Standin' there with nothin' on
She gonna teach me how to swim"
for more about the electric (f)eel, check this primer by Ken Catania ⚡ www.cell.com/current-biol...
(and yes, finally some current biology in Current Biology)
With the voltage runnin' through her skin
Standin' there with nothin' on
She gonna teach me how to swim"
for more about the electric (f)eel, check this primer by Ken Catania ⚡ www.cell.com/current-biol...
(and yes, finally some current biology in Current Biology)
Reposted by Benjamin Freeman
Our new paper on Bateman gradients in black coucals and white-browed coucals is out. Females of both species outperform males in mating and reproductive success - confirming the generality of Bateman's principle when sex roles differ.
Check it out: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Check it out: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Sex-role reversal and the Bateman gradient in coucals—females benefit from mating with multiple partners
Abstract. Conventional sex roles imply that males compete more vigorously with each other for fertilizations, whereas females are more selective in choosin
royalsocietypublishing.org
February 4, 2026 at 12:36 PM
Our new paper on Bateman gradients in black coucals and white-browed coucals is out. Females of both species outperform males in mating and reproductive success - confirming the generality of Bateman's principle when sex roles differ.
Check it out: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Check it out: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...