Exciting new database on cooperative breeding out now! 🪺

A big congratulations to everyone involved! 🎉

It's great to see sociable weavers featured in this cross-species effort to understand cooperation!

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

@co-breed.bsky.social

The BBC #Parenthood series joined us in Benfontein to film infanticide in sociable weavers for Ep. 3: Grassland🪺

It shows how complex (and sometimes brutal) parenthood can be!
Huge thanks to everyone involved for capturing incredible footage and sharing these stories🎉
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...

🚨Field assistant job in South Africa working with sociable weavers for nest building observations🚨

😎Experienced in behavioural observations?
🪹🪶Enjoy studying nest building and birds?

Find more information below! Applications close: 25/07/2025
sociableweaverproject.com/recruitment/...

Congratulations to @nicolasjsilva.bsky.social for publishing another chapter from his PhD! 🎉🪶

We show how deep learning can reveal differences across sexes in a seemingly monomorphic species 🐦🐦

Check it out here:
doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

#AnimalBehaviourJournal

🚨Field assistant job in South Africa working with sociable weavers 🚨

🔌Experienced in electronics?
🏷️Enjoy working with RFID technology?
🪶Like working with birds?

Find more information below!
Applications close on 08/06/2025

sociableweaverproject.com/recruitment/...

#fieldwork #ornithology

Fascinating talk from Helga Fourie from CIBIO Portugal at the #ASABSpring2025 conference: Proximity promotes social partner choice in weaver birds.
#asab

🐦 We are recruiting two field managers to work with us in South Africa on the fantastic sociable weaver system 🐦

Tasks include breeding monitoring and overseeing the field team activities 🪶

Deadline for applications: 20/04/2025

For more information:
sociableweaverproject.com/recruitment/...

In this paper, we compared three approaches: (1) strict time-window, (2) co-occurrence, and (3) arrival time methods to define associations for house sparrows on Lundy Island, UK, and Broken Hill, Australia; great tits in Wytham Woods, UK; and sociable weavers in Benfontein National Park.

To celebrate Darwin Day, we support the call for strengthening the teaching of evolution at schools in Portugal! 🪶

Em modo de celebrar o dia de Darwin, queremos mostrar o nosso apoio no ensino da matéria de Evolução no ensino em Portugal!

www.publico.pt/2025/02/12/c...

🎉This December, we celebrate the brilliant PhD defenses of two theses on sexual selection in weavers! 🎉

Congratulations to Dr Nicolas Silva for his work on sexual selection in genetically monogamous and monomorphic sociable weavers!🐦💡

🔌Interested in fieldwork and electronics?🔋

We need a tech-savvy bird enthusiast to manage our RFID feeding stations for sociable weavers!

🗓️ Start: Early Jan 2025

Experience with electronics is needed for this position

For more information see here:
sociableweaverproject.com/recruitment/...

🚨Job opening🚨
We are hiring two managers to help with data collection and oversee fieldwork on sociable weavers in South Africa!
Includes breeding monitoring

🗓️ Start: Feb 2025
📅 Apply by: End of Nov

Applications until the end of November:
sociableweaverproject.com/recruitment/...

Sociable weaver nests & pygmy falcons stealing the show at Tswalu & the KRC! 🤩

Big thanks to Robert Thomson, Sithabile Khumalo, Lesedi Moagi, Marta Manser, Tim Clutton-Brock and Walt Jubber for hosting Rita Covas. It was a fantastic trip in all ways!