Andy Radford
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andyradford.bsky.social
Andy Radford
@andyradford.bsky.social
860 followers 870 following 73 posts
Professor of Behavioural Ecology @ Bristol | social behaviour, vocal communication, cooperation, conflict, global change biology | love teaching and mentoring | love family time more
https://www.bio.bris.ac.uk/research/behavior/Vocal_Communication/
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andyradford.bsky.social
🌟Hurrah for #MongooseMonday🌟

The rich vocal repertoire of dwarf mongooses includes calls to:

Warn of danger: dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Recruit help: dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Announce sentinel duty:
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

Caller id affects how receivers respond.

#animalcommunication #mammals
Dwarf mongoose on sentinel duty in South Africa. Dwarf mongoose emerging from a termite mound.
November 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
It's #MongooseMonday 🎉

Dwarf mongooses are #cooperativebreeders, living in groups of 3-20 with a dominant breeding pair & helpers of both sexes.
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...

We study a South African population habituated to our close presence & trained to weigh themselves!
#fieldwork #social #behaviour
Dwarf mongoose group in South Africa. Habituated wild dwarf mongoose staring into a camera. Habituated wild dwarf mongoose on a balance scale weighing itself.
November 3, 2025 at 5:02 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
#Chun-Chieh combined detailed field #observations, acoustic #analyses and a playback #experiment. He also brilliantly trained & mentored @bristolbiosci.bsky.social #Masters student #LolaVonKietzell who was conducting parallel work on the #choughs.

doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

/end
Chun-Chieh Liao (PhD student) and Lola von Kietzell (Masters student) who worked together on the white-winged chough population in Canberra, Australia.
October 30, 2025 at 3:00 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
#Chun-ChiehLiao studied white-winged #choughs for his nearly completed #PhD. In this latest published chapter, he shows:
- Choughs produced different alarm calls according to threat type and urgency.
- ‘Bulging eyes’ occurred with one call type and might enhance alarm communication.
#ECR #birds
2/
Lead author and PhD student Chun-Chieh Liao with a white-winged chough, his Australian study organism.
October 30, 2025 at 2:55 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
Out 🌟TODAY🌟 in the #new volume of @asab.org #AnimalBehaviour, is latest #PhD chapter from the fantastic #Chun-ChiehLiao:
Functionally referential communication about danger in cooperatively breeding white-winged choughs
#fieldwork #experiments
With #RobMagrath #RobHeinsohn
doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
1/
Two wild white-winged choughs in Canberra, Australia; the study species in the newly published paper. Lead author Chun-Chieh Liao presenting the published work at the Behaviour 2025 conference in Kolkata.
October 30, 2025 at 2:51 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
Welcome to #MongooseMonday for all the info & pictures you didn't realise you needed!

Dwarf mongooses are Africa's smallest carnivore - upright, adults are the size of a 500 ml bottle; pups are tiny bundles of fun.

Thanks #MartinAveling for the drawing & @josharbon.bsky.social for the photo.
Dwarf mongoose drawing by wildlife artist Martin Aveling. Dwarf mongoose pups emerging from the burrow.
October 27, 2025 at 4:35 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
I know that feeling!!
October 23, 2025 at 5:48 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
❓ Want to join us?
📢 Fully funded #PhD for UK-domiciled Black heritage candidates
🐵 Biological market monitoring & manipulation in social animals #mongooses #macaques #fieldwork

👥 With me, #LaurenBrent & #PatrickKennedy
🎓 @bristolbiosci.bsky.social

ℹ️ www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

🙏Share widely
Dwarf mongoose Rhesus macaques grooming Meerkat
October 16, 2025 at 7:46 AM
andyradford.bsky.social
Interested in vocal #communication? How animals provide referential #information about danger? Then see our 🌟NEW🌟 paper by brilliant ANU #PhD student Chun-Chieh Liao out today in @asab.org Animal Behaviour. 🎉👏

#birds #choughs #fieldwork #ECR
With Rob Magrath and Rob Heinsohn
doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
White-winged choughs in Canberra, Australia - the bird species studied in the newly published work.
September 25, 2025 at 7:39 AM
andyradford.bsky.social
Apparently, it is 'World #Meerkat Day'. 🤷‍♂️ So what better excuse to post some photos of the #field team in action with the little critters, with thanks to the Kalahari Meerkat Project who make it all possible.
@laurenvane.bsky.social @josharbon.bsky.social
James Robertshaw
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
Juvenile meerkat in the Kalahari. Masters by Research student Lauren Vane collecting data on wild meerkats in the Kalahari, South Africa. Masters by Research student James Robertshaw out in the field with a meerkat on his head. Dr Josh Arbon mimicking a meerkat... or vice versa.
July 3, 2025 at 1:23 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
🌟CONGRATULATIONS🌟 to Lola von Kietzell on completing a brilliant #Masters field season with the wonderful white-winged #choughs. 👏

Thanks to Chun-Chieh Liao & Rob Magrath (@scienceanu.bsky.social) for in-field support & @josharbon.bsky.social for additional advice. 👍

@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
Masters student Lola von Kietzell setting up a cheese trial as part of a field experiment. Masters student Lola von Kietzell with one of her white-winged chough study groups in Canberra, Australia. Masters student Lola von Kietzell with her field playback equipment. Masters student Lola von Kietzell and PhD student Chun-Chieh Liao looking for their study white-winged choughs in Canberra, Australa.
June 30, 2025 at 3:47 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
🌟CONGRATULATIONS🌟 to You Zhou of @scienceanu.bsky.social on the publishing of her 2nd #PhD chapter in @asab.org Animal Behaviour. All about temporal #masking in the beautiful superb fairywrens.
#noise #fieldwork #playbacks
With Rob Magrath.
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
Male superb fairy wren Female superb fairy wren
June 12, 2025 at 8:09 AM
andyradford.bsky.social
Fun time at @hayfestival.bsky.social yesterday recording for #BBC #Radio4 Inside Science with a brilliant audience. Thanks @bbcvic.bsky.social for the fantastic hosting. Super interesting to hear all the stories from fellow panellists Manon Schweinfurth & Jemima Scrase.
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
Recording for BBC Radio 4 Inside Science at the Hay Festival: presenter Vic Gill and panellists Manon Schweinfurth, Jemima Scrase & Andy Radford.
May 28, 2025 at 11:28 AM
andyradford.bsky.social
I thought #parenting was tough at times, but this #meerkat group of 7 adults have 12 (yes, twelve) small bundles of fun to cope with! Thanks to @laurenvane.bsky.social for the stunning photo from #fieldwork in the Kalahari.
Meerkat adult with 6 pups to look after.
May 6, 2025 at 7:33 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
The #Kalahari field season is in full swing for the team of @laurenvane.bsky.social, Josh Arbon & James Robertshaw, aided by the smallest of assistants. 😊 Not jealous of them AT ALL! Bring on the exciting #experiments and data...
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
#meerkats #fieldwork #helpers
Researchers Josh Arbon and James Robertshaw watching a meerkat sentinel in the Kalahari. Meerkat pups climbing over the fluffy outer cover (wind shield) of a microphone being used by researchers in the Kalahari. Researcher Josh Arbon and a meerkat pondering life. Researchers Lauren Vane and James Robertshaw enjoying the sunset after a hard day of work in the Kalahari.
May 5, 2025 at 4:41 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
Hurrah - it's arrived! 🎉 Congratulations to @bbmwong.bsky.social & @ulrikacandolin.bsky.social (Editors) and all the authors. Delighted to have contributed the #noise #pollution chapter, enlivened with beautiful drawings by Martin Aveling.

#ChangingWorld #behaviour
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
Cover of the book 'Behavioural Responses to a Changing World: Challenges and Applications'.
March 9, 2025 at 10:22 AM
andyradford.bsky.social
Similar colour; similar curl up. 😊
Our cat, Muffin, curled up asleep.
March 8, 2025 at 7:49 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
More amazing #ECRs to celebrate on International Women's Day include these wonderful folk I am privileged to work with: Julie Kern, Lina Yousry, Ayla Webb, Maddie Gasparro, Yoonjung Yi, @sophienedelec.bsky.social, Pernille Sorensen & Lauren Vane.

#IWD2025 #WomeninStem
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
Amazing women in STEM that I am privileged to work with.
March 8, 2025 at 4:58 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
On International Women's Day (as on every day), I feel so lucky to be working with such talented #ECRs as Isla Davidson, Evie Croxford, @emweschke.bsky.social, Dominique Baptiste, Emily Lane, Clemency White, Cathy Hobbs & Amy Morris-Drake

#IWM2025 #WomeninStem
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
Amazing women in STEM that I am lucky enough to work with.
March 8, 2025 at 4:53 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
Loving the current office. Wondering how long I can hide here!! 🤫
February 21, 2025 at 1:27 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
For some reason, there is disproportionate pleasure in seeing your study organism on the front cover of a journal. ☺️
#DwarfMongoose photo on @royalsocietypublishing.org to accompany paper about combined effects of natural & anthropogenic stressors.
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Front cover of Biology Letters issue featuring a dwarf mongoose.
February 13, 2025 at 3:56 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
🎉CONGRATULATIONS🥂 to Lucy Westover on publishing her 🥇 paper in @royalsocietypublishing.org. Celebrating #ECR success is GREAT.
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social

#fieldwork #experiment #predation #noise #mongooses #vigilance #behaviour #ECR #Masters

#OpenAccess so please share:

doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Lucy Westover holding her Masters thesis. Dwarf mongoose photo used on front cover of journal.
February 12, 2025 at 3:27 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
Lovely to celebrate the brilliant #PhDs of @emweschke.bsky.social & Harry Suter and the wonderful #Masters by Research of Evie Croxford & Lauren Vane. Amazing people; fantastic research... but sad it's the end of an era. Looking forward to seeing what they all do next...
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
February 5, 2025 at 5:53 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
Delighted to welcome James Robertshaw to the group as a new #Masters by Research student.
#meerkats #mongooses #sociality #spaceuse #Kalahari
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
James Robertshaw - new Masters student being used as a lookout post by a wild meerkat
January 10, 2025 at 3:37 PM
andyradford.bsky.social
#ECR highlights from 2024 include:

🌟@beckypadget.bsky.social🌟 defending her #PhD thesis on cooperation and public goods production in #guppies (@exeter.ac.uk) & then joining us as a #NERC funded PDRA to work on #biological #markets.
👏🥂

#ProudPI #theory #mongooses
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
December 31, 2024 at 10:13 AM