Dan Mennill
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dmennill.bsky.social
Dan Mennill
@dmennill.bsky.social
Biology Professor & Associate Dean @UWindsor. I use bioacoustics to study ecology, evolution, and conservation. Husband & father. Proud Canadian 🇨🇦. I post about our team's research adventures. www.uwindsor.ca/dmennill
Pinned
Our new paper is out: "Avian biodiversity in the urban green spaces of Paris: higher bird species richness in larger parks and park centers". Co-authored with 14 UWindsor students from a Study Abroad field course. In Avian Conservation & Ecology: ace-eco.org/vol20/iss2/a...
Here's our story...
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Rough week for an ornithologist doing the Spelling Bee...
January 31, 2026 at 1:52 PM
In our new paper "Beluga societies: the social and cultural lives of an enigmatic odontocete" we present a model of beluga sociality across the seasons, with the mother-calf dyad at the core. Read about it here: doi.org/10.1007/s00265-025-03630-3
@jaclynaubin.bsky.social @raincoast.org
January 29, 2026 at 11:31 AM
We have a new paper out this week "Beluga societies: the social and cultural lives of an enigmatic odontocete" led by @jaclynaubin.bsky.social. Our collaborators @raincoast.org have made this cool video highlighting some key elements of our paper. Check it out: 👇
Do belugas have bromances?
A new scientific review by a research team including Raincoast scientists just dropped at Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, bringing together decades of research to provide the most complete picture yet of the social nature of belugas.
www.raincoast.org/2026/01/do-b...
January 23, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Our newest paper is out! "Beluga societies: the social and cultural lives of an enigmatic odontocete" is now published in Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology.
doi.org/10.1007/s00265-025-03630-3
Led by @jaclynaubin.bsky.social with our collaborators @raincoast.org & GREMM. Check out Jaclyn's thread 👇.
January 22, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Dan Mennill
Our new review of beluga sociality and culture just dropped at Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology! Some of our key conclusions summarized 🧵
doi.org/10.1007/s002...
@marine-valeria.bsky.social @dmennill.bsky.social @raincoast.org
January 21, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Hot off the 3D-printers, version 2 of our Motus Audio night flight call microphone. We're revising our microphone with some exciting new innovations, ahead of the spring 2026 migration. With Jeff Dutter, Lincoln Savi of SaviMade @lincolnsavi.bsky.social, Madison Bygrove, Natalie Emerick, and me.
January 14, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Dan Mennill
Our latest study is officially accepted! Dan @dmennill.bsky.social and I used 3D-printed pygmy owls to explore predator responses in Rufous-and-white Wrens. Check it out soon in Ethology. 🦉🔊🪺🇨🇷🇨🇦
"In the danger zone: wrens respond more strongly to experimentally simulated predators near their nest."

Our new study was accepted for publication! Led by @natingui.bsky.social, we use 3D-printed pygmy-owls to understand Rufous-and-white Wrens' reactions to danger. Coming soon to Ethology! 🦉🔊🪺🇨🇷🇨🇦
January 8, 2026 at 7:54 PM
"In the danger zone: wrens respond more strongly to experimentally simulated predators near their nest."

Our new study was accepted for publication! Led by @natingui.bsky.social, we use 3D-printed pygmy-owls to understand Rufous-and-white Wrens' reactions to danger. Coming soon to Ethology! 🦉🔊🪺🇨🇷🇨🇦
January 8, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Accepted for publication: "Traffic reduction during Covid-19 lockdowns benefited species already tolerant of noise pollution: an acoustic analysis." Our newest paper, led by PhD student Pedro Santos, Gonçalo Cardoso, and Nicola Koper, is coming in 2026 to The American Naturalist. Congrats Pedro!
December 22, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Congratulations to Nelsy Niño @nelsyninor.bsky.social for hosting a #bioacoustics workshop, with co-organizers Andrés Sierra and Fabricio Gorleri. They hosted their workshop in Cali, Colombia in concert with the 8th Colombian Ornithology Congress. 🎤🇨🇴
Think of those tropical wildlife recordings...
December 16, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Do birds have feelings? 🦉🦚🦅🦜
I'm a guest on The Warblers today, the podcast of Birds Canada. I answer a question about chickadee song. Nelsy Niño @nelsyninor.bsky.social answers a question about mimicry. Thanks for having us @birdscanada.bsky.social!
Listen here: www.birdscanada.org/warblerspodc...
December 15, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Congratulations to Nelsy Niño for presenting her research on the ecology and evolution of female song at the 8th Colombian Ornithology Congress in Cali, Colombia. Way to go @nelsyninor.bsky.social!
December 14, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Inter-brood interval affects offspring survival and fitness, and reflects timing of breeding and female quality. Our new paper on inter-brood interval appears in the new issue of Ibis, led by Hayley Spina and our collaborative Savannah Sparrow research team. @bou.org.uk @ryannorrissci.bsky.social
December 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Congratulations to Natalie Emerick for receiving an NSERC Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement. With this support Natalie will expand her studies of migratory flight calls by visiting @nicolasmathevon.bsky.social's #bioacoustics team in France in 2026. Way to go Natalie! @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
December 11, 2025 at 4:37 PM
In memory of Dr. Keith Hobson, the Society of Canadian Ornithologists is collecting donations to support the Keith Hobson Early Career Research Award. If you have the means, join me in supporting this initiative:
www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donati...
Details: www.sco-soc.ca/early-career...
December 9, 2025 at 11:46 AM
3 great words on a Monday morning: Accepted for publication! Our paper "Hushed disputes between noisy neighbours: Ovenbirds vary song amplitude during conflicts with territorial rivals" is coming to Animal Behaviour. 🤫🎶🐦 By Connor Acorn, Jenn Foote, and me. [📷: J. Foote] @animbehsociety.bsky.social
December 8, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Today I'm putting the finishing touches on our forthcoming paper "Acoustic differences persist in urban tits over two decades of declining anthropogenic noise in Paris, France." By me and Hans Slabbekoorn, and coming soon to Ornithological Applications. 🎤🎶🐦🏙️
December 5, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Reposted by Dan Mennill
Tonight I had the honour of host another Nature Guelph Bird Wing meeting featuring @dmennill.bsky.social It was fascinating learning about migratory bird acoustics
December 5, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Thank you, Nature Guelph, for the invitation to speak about our research on acoustic monitoring of bird migration. It was great to join such an engaged and excited group of birders for the evening.
December 5, 2025 at 2:09 AM
My year in music from Spotify wrapped.
December 3, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Tonight I'll be speaking to Nature Guelph about our team's research on bioacoustic methods for studying bird migration. Join online through Nature Guelph if you're interested:
natureguelph.ca/events/eaves...
December 3, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Dr. Vianney Cupiche Herrera of the Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo was our guest at today’s Mennill Lab meeting. We had a great conversation about playback, loudspeaker design, and conspecific attraction. Thank you for visiting us, Vianney! #bioacoustics @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Birds & Beers V was a big success! Thanks to all who participated, including student poster & club presenters, speakers Oliver Love & Ryan Norris, Nelsy Niño for screening "Mingoya", Natalie Emerick for emceeing, community partners for joining us, and Vortex Canada & Whiskeyjack Boutique for prizes.
November 21, 2025 at 11:55 AM
24 hours until Birds & Beers V!
🦆🍺🦚🍺🦜🍺
Join us for the most anticipated event of the season: a trivia contest, student research, student art, a short film screening, ornithology lighting talks, and more! Thanks to our sponsors: Vortex Canada and Whiskeyjack Boutique. @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 11:58 PM
"Grad student takes flight to map invasive plant." Sarika Sharma, an alum of our lab, is profiled in our campus newspaper for her research to map Phragmites in the Healthy Headwaters Lab. Congratulations Sarika!
www.uwindsor.ca/news/2025-11...
@ecofebria.bsky.social @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 3:57 PM