Nathan Senner
@drgodwit.bsky.social
Mass Audubon Bertrand Chair for Ornithology in Dept. Environmental Conservation at UMass Amherst. Fan of all things godwits. Oh, and other birds, and ecology, and evolution, and just cool science generally.
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Unraveling abundance from occurrence: Modeling an endangered rodent population with low capture probability esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Unraveling abundance from occurrence: Modeling an endangered rodent population with low capture probability
Predicting population abundance while accounting for uncertainty is an essential task for managers of endangered species but is often hindered by the challenge and expense of comprehensive data colle...
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 15, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Unraveling abundance from occurrence: Modeling an endangered rodent population with low capture probability esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
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 Nathan Senner
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Interesting. Migratory Yellow Warblers don't have longer wings. They attain higher aspect ratio by shortened secondaries. An increase in efficiency that seems to favour speed over easiness.
Pointy wings are thought to help migratory birds fly efficiently, but which bones and feathers are responsible? Pegan et al. describe morphological variation that contributes to hand-wing index, a common proxy for wing shape.
Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
February 11, 2026 at 11:27 PM
Interesting. Migratory Yellow Warblers don't have longer wings. They attain higher aspect ratio by shortened secondaries. An increase in efficiency that seems to favour speed over easiness.
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.
Reposted by Nathan Senner
EARLY VIEW in IBIS
Storm events will simultaneously reduce foraging opportunities and affect movements of Red Knots (Calidris canutus) in the intertidal Wadden Sea | onlinelibrary.wiley....
Timo Keuning, Evy Gobbens, Ran Nathan, Allert I. Bijleveld | #ornithology 🪶
Storm events will simultaneously reduce foraging opportunities and affect movements of Red Knots (Calidris canutus) in the intertidal Wadden Sea | onlinelibrary.wiley....
Timo Keuning, Evy Gobbens, Ran Nathan, Allert I. Bijleveld | #ornithology 🪶
February 9, 2026 at 5:22 PM
EARLY VIEW in IBIS
Storm events will simultaneously reduce foraging opportunities and affect movements of Red Knots (Calidris canutus) in the intertidal Wadden Sea | onlinelibrary.wiley....
Timo Keuning, Evy Gobbens, Ran Nathan, Allert I. Bijleveld | #ornithology 🪶
Storm events will simultaneously reduce foraging opportunities and affect movements of Red Knots (Calidris canutus) in the intertidal Wadden Sea | onlinelibrary.wiley....
Timo Keuning, Evy Gobbens, Ran Nathan, Allert I. Bijleveld | #ornithology 🪶
Reposted by Nathan Senner
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 ⬇️
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Aging populations threaten conservation goals of zoos @PNAS.org
Aging populations threaten conservation goals of zoos
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 5, February 2026.
SignificanceZoos play an important role for global biodiversity through education, ex situ conservation, and reintroduction programs. For wildlife species currently threatened in their natural habitats or predicted to decline under future global change, ...
dlvr.it
February 6, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Aging populations threaten conservation goals of zoos @PNAS.org
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Award issue: @pjdougherty.bsky.social and Matthew Carling review where and when nonbreeding divergence may influence reproductive isolation and speciation
➡️ vist.ly/4qm6e
#ornithology #birds #speciation #moult 🪶
➡️ vist.ly/4qm6e
#ornithology #birds #speciation #moult 🪶
February 6, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Award issue: @pjdougherty.bsky.social and Matthew Carling review where and when nonbreeding divergence may influence reproductive isolation and speciation
➡️ vist.ly/4qm6e
#ornithology #birds #speciation #moult 🪶
➡️ vist.ly/4qm6e
#ornithology #birds #speciation #moult 🪶
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Does human disturbance disrupt predator-prey temporal niche partitioning? Today in @natcomms.nature.com
we show that while there is no overall effect, the larger species of the dyad "loses" the temporal response race to humans.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
we show that while there is no overall effect, the larger species of the dyad "loses" the temporal response race to humans.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 4, 2026 at 10:41 PM
Does human disturbance disrupt predator-prey temporal niche partitioning? Today in @natcomms.nature.com
we show that while there is no overall effect, the larger species of the dyad "loses" the temporal response race to humans.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
we show that while there is no overall effect, the larger species of the dyad "loses" the temporal response race to humans.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
why do males defend territories in some species while pairs or family groups defend territories in others?
then-undergrad Shreyas Arashanapalli did a fantastic project to find out, analyzing 3177 playback experiments on 264 species
the best predictor?
latitude
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
then-undergrad Shreyas Arashanapalli did a fantastic project to find out, analyzing 3177 playback experiments on 264 species
the best predictor?
latitude
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
February 4, 2026 at 6:21 PM
why do males defend territories in some species while pairs or family groups defend territories in others?
then-undergrad Shreyas Arashanapalli did a fantastic project to find out, analyzing 3177 playback experiments on 264 species
the best predictor?
latitude
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
then-undergrad Shreyas Arashanapalli did a fantastic project to find out, analyzing 3177 playback experiments on 264 species
the best predictor?
latitude
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
🚨 Now out: Award Issue, collecting all seven mini-reviews included in the 2025 Review Competition written by early career researchers. Highlighting emerging or less explored topics in avian biology
➡️ vist.ly/4pzxr
Cover: pair of female Laysan albatrosses by Bertille Mohring
#ornithology
➡️ vist.ly/4pzxr
Cover: pair of female Laysan albatrosses by Bertille Mohring
#ornithology
February 2, 2026 at 12:27 PM
🚨 Now out: Award Issue, collecting all seven mini-reviews included in the 2025 Review Competition written by early career researchers. Highlighting emerging or less explored topics in avian biology
➡️ vist.ly/4pzxr
Cover: pair of female Laysan albatrosses by Bertille Mohring
#ornithology
➡️ vist.ly/4pzxr
Cover: pair of female Laysan albatrosses by Bertille Mohring
#ornithology
Just a couple of days left before we begin reviewing applications. Still time to submit one, though!!
We're hiring! The Dept. of Environmental Conservation @umassamherst.bsky.social is looking for an Extension Professor in Biodiversity Conservation. Reviews start Feb 1. I am on the SC and absolutely love working in the ECo Dept. Come join us! DM me with questions. careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
Details - Extension Assistant Professor - Biodiversity Conservation | Human Resources | UMass Amherst
careers.umass.edu
January 30, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Just a couple of days left before we begin reviewing applications. Still time to submit one, though!!
Reposted by Nathan Senner
📖 Published!
A range-wide full-annual-cycle model informs conservation of a declining migratory shorebird🐥🌊
Using population growth rates to link local, season-specific data to model full-annual-cycle dynamics could guide the conservation of migratory species
Read more: buff.ly/ezoou8z
A range-wide full-annual-cycle model informs conservation of a declining migratory shorebird🐥🌊
Using population growth rates to link local, season-specific data to model full-annual-cycle dynamics could guide the conservation of migratory species
Read more: buff.ly/ezoou8z
January 30, 2026 at 1:02 PM
📖 Published!
A range-wide full-annual-cycle model informs conservation of a declining migratory shorebird🐥🌊
Using population growth rates to link local, season-specific data to model full-annual-cycle dynamics could guide the conservation of migratory species
Read more: buff.ly/ezoou8z
A range-wide full-annual-cycle model informs conservation of a declining migratory shorebird🐥🌊
Using population growth rates to link local, season-specific data to model full-annual-cycle dynamics could guide the conservation of migratory species
Read more: buff.ly/ezoou8z
Reposted by Nathan Senner
I'm here to impose Pax Romana for natural tidal debris on beaches across the Mediterranean.
Reason: Coastal life needs debris to thrive. More info: doi.org/10.1016/j.tr... The paper is in English, not Latin, but it is equally understandable to Romans, scientists, managers, and citizens.
Reason: Coastal life needs debris to thrive. More info: doi.org/10.1016/j.tr... The paper is in English, not Latin, but it is equally understandable to Romans, scientists, managers, and citizens.
January 27, 2026 at 6:22 PM
I'm here to impose Pax Romana for natural tidal debris on beaches across the Mediterranean.
Reason: Coastal life needs debris to thrive. More info: doi.org/10.1016/j.tr... The paper is in English, not Latin, but it is equally understandable to Romans, scientists, managers, and citizens.
Reason: Coastal life needs debris to thrive. More info: doi.org/10.1016/j.tr... The paper is in English, not Latin, but it is equally understandable to Romans, scientists, managers, and citizens.
Reposted by Nathan Senner
🦉🌎🧪 New #MigratoryShorebirdProject study confirms #shorebirds are in trouble across the entire Western Hemisphere. These findings fill a critical data gap, strengthen support for current programs, and help guide future conservation action. Learn more: shorturl.at/6slxg
January 27, 2026 at 12:48 AM
🦉🌎🧪 New #MigratoryShorebirdProject study confirms #shorebirds are in trouble across the entire Western Hemisphere. These findings fill a critical data gap, strengthen support for current programs, and help guide future conservation action. Learn more: shorturl.at/6slxg
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Out now in Movement Ecology: We used multi-sensor geolocators to track myrtle warblers breeding in Alaska and found that they migrated much farther than expected to the Gulf Coast—rather than to the closer Pacific Coast non-breeding area 🪶🧵 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
January 23, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Out now in Movement Ecology: We used multi-sensor geolocators to track myrtle warblers breeding in Alaska and found that they migrated much farther than expected to the Gulf Coast—rather than to the closer Pacific Coast non-breeding area 🪶🧵 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Using GPS telemetry, male black-tailed godwits used mudflats and adjacent saltworks, females a wider array of habitats. Females showed high foraging activity on small arthropod prey in rice fields & saltworks, compared to males eating larger polychaetes on mudflats.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
January 22, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Using GPS telemetry, male black-tailed godwits used mudflats and adjacent saltworks, females a wider array of habitats. Females showed high foraging activity on small arthropod prey in rice fields & saltworks, compared to males eating larger polychaetes on mudflats.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
One of the coolest parts of tracking birds is getting to see those individuals in the wild again. Yesterday, near São Luis, Brazil, we saw a Whimbrel tagged in TX by Manomet and U. of OK in 2022! Since then it's been to the MacKenzie Delta & Southampton Island + Cape Cod, MA! Photos: Alan Kneidel
January 20, 2026 at 5:31 PM
One of the coolest parts of tracking birds is getting to see those individuals in the wild again. Yesterday, near São Luis, Brazil, we saw a Whimbrel tagged in TX by Manomet and U. of OK in 2022! Since then it's been to the MacKenzie Delta & Southampton Island + Cape Cod, MA! Photos: Alan Kneidel
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Tracking has revolutionized the study of migratory birds - shorebirds included! 🐦
In this paper, we explore the global and historical patterns of tracking effort on these birds, and suggests some species that would benefit from future tracking efforts
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
In this paper, we explore the global and historical patterns of tracking effort on these birds, and suggests some species that would benefit from future tracking efforts
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Global review of shorebird tracking data to identify research gaps and conservation priorities
Tracking has enabled rapid advances in knowledge of the movement behavior and habitat use of shorebirds and is thus making a growing contribution to their conservation. However, realizing the full po...
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:56 AM
Tracking has revolutionized the study of migratory birds - shorebirds included! 🐦
In this paper, we explore the global and historical patterns of tracking effort on these birds, and suggests some species that would benefit from future tracking efforts
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
In this paper, we explore the global and historical patterns of tracking effort on these birds, and suggests some species that would benefit from future tracking efforts
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
A new article in Ecology and Evolution on apparent survival rates for two populations of Golden Eagles in Scotland. Shed feathers were collected at nest sites for genotyping and sexing. Mark-recapture models used to estimate demographic rates.🪶https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.72912
January 14, 2026 at 2:14 PM
A new article in Ecology and Evolution on apparent survival rates for two populations of Golden Eagles in Scotland. Shed feathers were collected at nest sites for genotyping and sexing. Mark-recapture models used to estimate demographic rates.🪶https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.72912
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Globally, no single day in 2025 was cooler than its 1991-2020 average.
climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...
climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...
January 14, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Globally, no single day in 2025 was cooler than its 1991-2020 average.
climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...
climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...
Reposted by Nathan Senner
Translocation of Raso Larks to the island of Santa Luzia in 2018 after eradication of invasive cats has been spectacularly successful, with nearly 1000 individuals now. Great work by @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social partner Biosfera, and long-championed by Mike Brooke www.birdguides.com/news/raso-la...
Raso Lark reintroduction proves a triumph
After a small number of Raso Larks were translocated to Santa Luzia in 2018, the population has grown to as many as 1,000 individuals.
www.birdguides.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Translocation of Raso Larks to the island of Santa Luzia in 2018 after eradication of invasive cats has been spectacularly successful, with nearly 1000 individuals now. Great work by @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social partner Biosfera, and long-championed by Mike Brooke www.birdguides.com/news/raso-la...
I had a blast talking with @drscottataylor.bsky.social on the most recent episode of Okay, but...birds. Tune in for my hot take on why Hudsonian Godwits are far superior to Arctic Terns as migratory birds! (I welcome any & all angry comments from tern supporters 😉)
okaybutbirds.com/episodes/e5
okaybutbirds.com/episodes/e5
E5: Okay, but why fly from the Arctic to Antarctica and back every year? — Okay, But... Birds
okaybutbirds.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:09 PM
I had a blast talking with @drscottataylor.bsky.social on the most recent episode of Okay, but...birds. Tune in for my hot take on why Hudsonian Godwits are far superior to Arctic Terns as migratory birds! (I welcome any & all angry comments from tern supporters 😉)
okaybutbirds.com/episodes/e5
okaybutbirds.com/episodes/e5
Reposted by Nathan Senner
After the US admin cancelled the $B Climate + Weather Disaster dataset, @climatecentral.org hired the scientists who ran it and set it back up.
Now the 2025 numbers are in: it's 3rd highest year on record and highest year w/o land-falling hurricanes.
More: www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv...
Now the 2025 numbers are in: it's 3rd highest year on record and highest year w/o land-falling hurricanes.
More: www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv...
January 8, 2026 at 5:33 PM
After the US admin cancelled the $B Climate + Weather Disaster dataset, @climatecentral.org hired the scientists who ran it and set it back up.
Now the 2025 numbers are in: it's 3rd highest year on record and highest year w/o land-falling hurricanes.
More: www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv...
Now the 2025 numbers are in: it's 3rd highest year on record and highest year w/o land-falling hurricanes.
More: www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv...