Katy Willcox
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katywillcox.bsky.social
Katy Willcox
@katywillcox.bsky.social
770 followers 810 following 19 posts
Kathryn (Katy) Willcox | PhD @ecobird.bsky.social | social environments <-> bird behaviour and cognition | 🐥🐦🧠🦦🐝 | ❤️ welfare & outreach | also 🎶🎨🎮🎲👩‍🍳🌿 | she/her
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katywillcox.bsky.social
Katy Willcox @katywillcox.bsky.social · Nov 25
Hi Bluesky 👋 I’m a PhD student @ecobird.bsky.social investigating the effects of early-life social environments on the behaviour and cognition of birds 🐦🧠 Follow for cute chick pics, stay for cool science 🐤😎
Reposted by Katy Willcox
lauraakelley.bsky.social
Turns out gulls don't like being shouted at (or stared at!) New paper led by excellent masters students @uniexecec.bsky.social with @neeltjeboogert.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
theguardian.com The Guardian @theguardian.com · 18h
Worth a shout? Yelling is best way to deter gulls, UK study suggests
Worth a shout? Yelling is best way to deter gulls, UK study suggests
Animal behaviourists tested 61 gulls in Cornwall to find most effective method of countering feathery threat Some people respond to the unwanted attentions of a gull eyeing up a bag of chips or a Cornish pasty by frantically flapping their hands at the hungry bird while others beat a rapid retreat into the nearest seaside shelter. But researchers have found that a no-nonsense yell – even a relatively quiet one – may be the best way to get rid of a pesky herring gull. Animal behaviourists from the University of Exeter tried to establish the most effective method of countering a feathery threat by placing a portion of chips in a place where gulls were bound to find them. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
hansonmark.bsky.social
We wrote the Strain on scientific publishing to highlight the problems of time & trust. With a fantastic group of co-authors, we present The Drain of Scientific Publishing:

a 🧵 1/n

Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
Oligopoly: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A table showing profit margins of major publishers. A snippet of text related to this table is below. 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. A figure detailing the drain on researcher time. 1. The four-fold drain 1.2 Time The number of papers published each year is growing faster than the scientific workforce, with the number of papers per researcher almost doubling between 1996 and 2022 (Figure 1A). This reflects the fact that publishers’ commercial desire to publish (sell) more material has aligned well with the competitive prestige culture in which publications help secure jobs, grants, promotions, and awards. To the extent that this growth is driven by a pressure for profit, rather than scholarly imperatives, it distorts the way researchers spend their time. The publishing system depends on unpaid reviewer labour, estimated to be over 130 million unpaid hours annually in 2020 alone (9). Researchers have complained about the demands of peer-review for decades, but the scale of the problem is now worse, with editors reporting widespread difficulties recruiting reviewers. The growth in publications involves not only the authors’ time, but that of academic editors and reviewers who are dealing with so many review demands. Even more seriously, the imperative to produce ever more articles reshapes the nature of scientific inquiry. Evidence across multiple fields shows that more papers result in ‘ossification’, not new ideas (10). It may seem paradoxical that more papers can slow progress until one considers how it affects researchers’ time. While rewards remain tied to volume, prestige, and impact of publications, researchers will be nudged away from riskier, local, interdisciplinary, and long-term work. The result is a treadmill of constant activity with limited progress whereas core scholarly practices – such as reading, reflecting and engaging with others’ contributions – is de-prioritized. What looks like productivity often masks intellectual exhaustion built on a demoralizing, narrowing scientific vision. A table of profit margins across industries. The section of text related to this table is below: 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. The costs of inaction are plain: wasted public funds, lost researcher time, compromised scientific integrity and eroded public trust. Today, the system rewards commercial publishers first, and science second. Without bold action from the funders we risk continuing to pour resources into a system that prioritizes profit over the advancement of scientific knowledge.
November 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
ctennie.bsky.social
Is the psychology replication crisis (at last) catching up with animal cognition?

"Our results indicate low statistical power and inflated effect sizes in both primary studies and meta-analyses."

Preprint here:

ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
The statistical fragility of animal cognition findings: a meta-meta-analytic reappraisal
ecoevorxiv.org
November 7, 2025 at 6:18 AM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
sofiaforss.bsky.social
Interested in early life learning and cognitive development ? In our new pre-print we present data on developmental trajectories of three cognitive traits spanning wild meerkat pups critical life transitions 👇🏼
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Developmental trajectories of cognitive traits in meerkats match socio-ecological demands
Understanding cognitive development is fundamental to contextualize adult cognitive phenotypes, and thus the operational pathways for cognitive evolution. The ontogeny of specific cognitive traits is ...
www.biorxiv.org
November 5, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
birgitszabo.bsky.social
It took almost a year to write this review on causes and consequences of ranging in chicken 🐔! This was a huge collaborative effort by @ecobird.bsky.social @pec-exeter.bsky.social and @vitorhbf.bsky.social ! I am very proud of the outcome. You can check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.32942/X22...
Understanding individual range use in free-range chickens - a systematic review
doi.org
October 31, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
ecobird.bsky.social
Just last week, one of the cinereous vultures born at Planckendael this spring was transferred to Bulgaria as part of the ongoing reintroduction programme. We visited the acclimatisation aviary to check in on our feathered friend — doing great and getting ready for release next spring.
October 30, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
cesarepacioni.bsky.social
New preprint out on bioRxiv

🌳 doi.org/10.1101/2025... 🌳

Using data from 19 forest plots in Flanders, we found that forest structural complexity isn’t a consistent predictor of multidiversity and responses across taxa were mostly weak or inconsistent.

@ecobird.bsky.social | @fornalab.bsky.social
Multitaxon assessment reveals inconsistent biodiversity responses to forest structural complexity in temperate forests
Increasing forest structural complexity is a key objective of future-proof forest management, with potential benefits for biodiversity. However, empirical evidence for consistent biodiversity-structur...
doi.org
October 29, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
biorxiv-behav.bsky.social
Social relationships promote access to food and information in wild jackdaws https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.25.684536v1
October 26, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
vernouilleta.bsky.social
Excited to announce that Eli Garcia-Pelegrin and I are co-editing a special collection for Animal Cognition on "Social Cognition in a Human World". Do you study how urbanization, pollution, heat stress, fragmentation, ... affects cognition? We want to hear from you! link.springer.com/collections/...
Social Cognition in a Human World
As humanity exploits and reshapes the environment to accommodate for development and population growth demands, animals need to adapt to these human-induced ...
link.springer.com
October 22, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
gfalbery.bsky.social
I'm v excited to be recruiting a PhD student to work on badger behaviour and ecology! Starting date is March 2026; see the ad here, or message me for more details: www.gregalbery.me/s/March-2026...
October 3, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
asab.org
Exciting ASAB news: increased grant money 💰💰 😍😍
ccioannou.bsky.social Christos C. Ioannou @ccioannou.bsky.social · 29d
📣 @asab.org grants BOOSTED! 📣

We've increased most of our research-related grants by 50%, effective from the next deadline of 1st Feb 2026.

Check out what we offer here:
www.asab.org/grant-overview
October 15, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
ecobird.bsky.social
Wonderful to see this project published! We were glad to contribute a small part to this impressive collaborative effort through ECoBird.
October 15, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
expecocons.bsky.social
🐦Funded PhD @Bristol for UK-domiciled applicants of Black heritage ✨

How does human pressure impact the stability and longevity of bird populations in the Global South 🌍

Train in R & Bayesian modelling with partners in Tanzania, Kenya, SA, @zslscience.bsky.social

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
October 14, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
andyradford.bsky.social
Fancy joining us?
Check out this excellent @royalsociety.org Career Development Fellowship:
royalsociety.org/grants/caree...
If you're eligible & are interested in social behaviour, vocal communication or anthropogenic impacts on wildlife, feel free to DM or email me.
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
Career Development Fellowship | Royal Society
This scheme provides the most talented early career scientists from underrepresented groups in STEM with research funding and high-quality training opportunities to build a strong base for a successfu...
royalsociety.org
September 28, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
sebiology.bsky.social
🚀 Calling early-career biologists!

The @biologists.bsky.social Travel Grant gives you up to £800 to attend conferences, workshops, or lab visits.

🗓️ This round closes 30 September — don’t miss it!

✅ Apply here:
www.sebiology.org/grants/grant...

#ScienceFunding #TravelGrant #Biology
September 26, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
rebeccarhelm.bsky.social
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
September 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
ljnbrent.bsky.social
Postdoc job alert! We are hiring a NYU-based postdoc to work on our project on the social and environmental determinants of aging. The 3 year post will be based in James Higham's lab and will focus on endocrine, immune, and inflammatory aspects of aging. Please share! apply.interfolio.com/173938
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
September 22, 2025 at 9:32 AM
katywillcox.bsky.social
Full circle ! 🥚
September 21, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
jessica-dobson.bsky.social
Super happy to share the first chapter of my PhD, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface ✨🐀 royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Iridescence in mammals is not as rare as we thought, but it’s all created in the same way!
Rainbow-like colours in the fur of a tropical rat (Otomys tropicalis)
September 17, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
laurenguillette.bsky.social
Accepting applications for Graduate Students! PhD & MSc

I am seeking highly motivated individuals to join my research team.

Application details here: https://bit.ly/4mlBd6x

Deadline 01 Dec 2025

Please share widely!

(1/3)
1/3
September 15, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
charlenegemard.bsky.social
🚨 Calling researchers, students, technicians in cognition 🚨

We’re running a 10-min anonymous survey on how animal cognition is defined and studied across disciplines (from ecology, ethology, psychology, neurology, etc). 🧠✨

Scan the QR code & share widely

#AnimalCognition #ResearchSurvey #Science
September 10, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
paritosh97.bsky.social
Just wrapped up one of the biggest chapters of my life—successfully defended my PhD! 🎓✨
Years of fieldwork, writing, and countless late nights have finally come together. Feeling grateful, relieved, and excited for what’s next. 🌿🪶 #PhDDefense #NewBeginnings #BehaviouralEcology
September 10, 2025 at 2:37 AM
katywillcox.bsky.social
Long overdue egg update 🐥
September 8, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
diegogil.bsky.social
September 4, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Reposted by Katy Willcox
ljnbrent.bsky.social
Survey alert! If you're a social behavioural ecologist, please fill in our survey aimed at gauging interest in, barriers and solutions to, comparative social behaviour research. Thanks! forms.gle/KZJDMtLCJhvY...
August 31, 2025 at 3:18 AM