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animal-prattle.bsky.social
animal prattle
@animal-prattle.bsky.social
1.2K followers 890 following 280 posts
The latest n' greatest research about all things animal communication 🐔🐑🐁🐿🐳🦀🦚🕷🐝🗣🐦 @ me your favorite papers, new results, etc 💬
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animal-prattle.bsky.social
animal prattle @animal-prattle.bsky.social · Mar 7
Pinned update: posts by @nicholdav.bsky.social @nickjourjine.bsky.social (also organizes @braincoustics.bsky.social) & @alenalem.bsky.social

And you! If you're in our starter pack
go.bsky.app/GzjarHU
post to our feed by adding:
#prattle 💬

We also tag #bioacoustics + #neuroskyence as appropriate
animal-prattle.bsky.social
tired: telling people to "touch grass"

wired: learning from monk parakeets to "test the waters"
elizabethhobson.bsky.social Elizabeth Hobson @elizabethhobson.bsky.social · 24d
In an increasingly divided world, how do strangers become friends? Parakeets might have something to teach us! New paper on formation of affiliative relationships, led by Dr. Claire O’Connell doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Graphic showing the paper title “Monk parakeets ‘test the waters’ when forming new relationships” in the journal Biology Letters. Also features photos of the co-authors (Claire, Annemarie, Gerry, and Liz) as well as the issue cover photo of two marked monk parakeets from Claire’s work grooming each other. Also shown are some of the main plots of the paper showing how the parakeets escalate their behaviors from low risk/low investment (like proximity) to higher risk/higher investment interactions (like preening/grooming)
November 24, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
andyradford.bsky.social
📢NEW paper out NOW in @asab.org Animal Behaviour on how a novel #call changes subsequent responses to #alarms in #fairywrens

🌟CONGRATULATIONS #NatalieTegtman on #first paper from #PhD
👥With #RobMagrath

@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
#animalcommunication #birds #fieldwork #ECR

doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
Female superb fairywren in Australia. Male superb fairywren in Australia.
November 24, 2025 at 4:30 PM
animal-prattle.bsky.social
Congrats to @robertslab.bsky.social, the version of record of this paper is now published in @elife.bsky.social

Nice use of optimal transport methods to measure acoustic distance, if you're into that sort of thing 😉

elifesciences.org/articles/101...

#prattle 💬
#bioacoustics
A deep learning approach for the analysis of birdsong
An open-source deep learning toolkit performs accurate annotation and similarity scoring of zebra finch song, along with comprehensive feature extraction, enabling consistent, interpretable comparison...
elifesciences.org
November 24, 2025 at 6:23 PM
animal-prattle.bsky.social
How do you build a brain that lets mice sing? 🎤🐭

If you enjoyed @cliffscience.bsky.social's talk @braincoustics.bsky.social on this work, now you can read it in @currentbiology.bsky.social!

(w / 1st author @xmikezheng20.bsky.social, @arkarupbanerjee.bsky.social group)

#prattle 💬
#neurosky
November 24, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
profsimonfisher.bsky.social
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
What enables human language? A biocultural framework
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of l...
www.science.org
November 23, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Reposted by animal prattle
profsimonfisher.bsky.social
If you are unable to download the full version of our newly published language evolution article in Science, there is a link for direct free access on the Max Planck Institute website here:
November 23, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
animal-sounds.bsky.social
🚨Who wants to work with Kalahari meerkats? A MSc project with @mathildemartin.bsky.social at the University of Zurich.
#bioacoustics 🧪
November 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
braincoustics.bsky.social
Big week for mouse squeaks coming up! 🐁 💬

🗓️11/18: BBB seminar with @emilyjanedennis.bsky.social and Stuart Newson of the @btobirds.bsky.social
✅ braincoustics.com

🗓️11/20-21: 4th Annual Ultrasonic Vocalization Conference (free!)
✅ bit.ly/3JRVOCu

#bioacoustics #neuroskyence #prattle 💬
November 13, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
fishsounds.bsky.social
🐟🔊
New publication about all the exciting additions we made to FishSounds throughout versions 2 and 3: doi.org/10.1111/geb....!

Since then, we've added even more recordings thanks to the FishEye Collaborative, and we have a lot more planned for next year!
Visual summaries of the additions made to the datasets and recordings in FishSounds Versions 2 and 3. Top: Lollipop plot of the number of total and newly added references per publication year. Left: Spectrograms of select recordings added to the FishSounds database in the latest versions, showing representative grunts and boatwhistles of the Gulf toadfish and very fast repetitive ticks of a salmon that could not be identified to species. Right: Bar plot of the number of total and newly added recordings on the FishSounds database, either hosted on the website or through links to FishBase and the Macaulay Library.
November 10, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
andyradford.bsky.social
#MongooseMonday is here again 🎉

Dwarf mongooses track what their groupmates are up to in the day using #vocal cues, altering their #grooming in the evening.

They reward helpful hounds (doi.org/10.1073/pnas...) & shun bullies (doi.org/10.7554/eLif...)

#bioacoustics #mammals #cooperation #conflict
Experimental evidence for delayed contingent cooperation among wild dwarf mongooses | PNAS
Many animals participate in biological markets, with strong evidence existing for immediate cooperative trades. In particular, grooming is often ex...
doi.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
felixhaefele.bsky.social
Happy to share our new paper is now published! 🎉

We developed a non-invasive method to model animal hearing using 3D photogrammetry and showed it on bats 🦇 and a pig. It even allowed us to capture the 3D mesh of an alive and awake bat and model its hearing! 🔉

Article: doi.org/10.1111/2041... 🧪
3D photogrammetry as a low‐cost and non‐invasive method for acoustic modelling of animal hearing
Sound localization is important for all eared animals and the spatio-spectral cues for localization are described through the head-related transfer function (HRTF). Current state-of-the-art for ob...
doi.org
November 18, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by animal prattle
amyleedale.bsky.social
📢 JOB ALERT!
Interested in #Bioacoustics, #Linguistics and the #Evolution of #Language? We are seeking a #ResearchAssistant to join our project 'Convergent Evolution of Vocal Communication: Exploring the Parallels between #Birdsong and Human Speech'.👇 www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
The University of Salford hiring Research Assistant in Bioacoustics in Manchester, England, United Kingdom | LinkedIn
Posted 10:02:26 AM. Research Assistant in BioacousticsUniversity of Salford, School of Science, Engineering &…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.
www.linkedin.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by animal prattle
elenabelli.bsky.social
I am looking for an intern to support my PhD project on multimodal communication in common marmosets! 🐒🌞
Minimum commitment is 3 months full-time. Please note that this is an unpaid position and that remote options are not available. BSc and MSc students are welcome!🥰
@nccrlanguage.bsky.social
November 17, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
profsimonfisher.bsky.social
Advances in genomics are giving exciting new perspectives on biology of speech, language & reading. My latest peer-reviewed paper is a tutorial, guiding readers from different backgrounds through the history of the field, current state-of-the-art, & where we’re heading. A taster in this thread.🧪
1/n
Genomic Investigations of Spoken and Written Language Abilities: A Guide to Advances in Approaches, Technologies, and Discovery
Purpose: The aim of this tutorial is to show how the rise of molecular technologies and analytical methods in human genetics yields exciting new ...
pubs.asha.org
November 17, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
pfcook.bsky.social
Yes, very nice! Fluent vocal production is motorically complex and requires predictive/pre-conscious loading of motor transformations. What better brain region for that than cerebellum? We've been looking at it in cetaceans... journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Lateralized cerebellar connectivity differentiates auditory pathways in echolocating and non-echolocating whales
We report the first application of diffusion tractography to a mysticete, which was analyzed alongside three odontocete brains, allowing the first direct comparison of strength and laterality of audit...
journals.plos.org
November 15, 2025 at 9:37 PM
animal-prattle.bsky.social
🧠 time 2 study #cerebellum in birdsong? 🧠

In #neuroskyence songbirds are a model to study learned motor skills like speaking a language

The cerebellum plays a role in these behaviors in humans.
It remains unclear if it interacts w/song system, brain areas for song in songbirds

#prattle 💬

1/2
Screenshot of abstract: The cerebellum is involved in the acquisition and production of speech as revealed by clinical evidence and imaging studies, but its specific role however remains unclear. Songbirds provide a unique model to study the neural mechanisms of speech learning and production. Recent evidence highlights a contribution of the cerebellum to syllable duration in songbirds. Here, we aim at better understanding how and which cerebellar circuits may contribute to the tight control of syllable duration in zebra finches. We first confirmed that lesions in the lateral cerebellum affect syllable duration. We then recorded neuronal activity in the various cerebellar lobules in response to song playback and during singing with or without auditory feedback perturbation. We found that many cerebellar lobules receive non-selective auditory information locked to syllable boundaries during song playback, both in anaesthetized and awake behaving birds. During singing, cerebellar neurons in several lobules display song-locked responses with varying degrees of alignment to their playback responses and no alteration during auditory feedback perturbation. Singing-related activity tends to correlate with the fluctuations in syllable duration rather than any acoustic song feature. Importantly, neurons in lobule IV of the cerebellum are largely unaffected by auditory stimulation but display syllable-locked firing rate modulations during singing that precisely encode syllable boundaries with a sharp and tight increase in firing at syllable onsets and offsets. Altogether, our findings reveal cerebellar signals that may contribute to the control of the duration of vocal elements during singing, possibly serving as a forward model of song temporal features.
November 15, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
animal-prattle.bsky.social
Fun 🧵 on vocal mimicry by @biotay.bsky.social that starts w/ a ref to this paper☝️ from @wascherclaudia.bsky.social Waterhouse @babeheim.bsky.social

(h/t to @irenegarciaruiz.com who we saw repost it)

bsky.app/profile/biot...

#prattle 💬
#bioacoustics
#R2D2
biotay.bsky.social Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 25d
1/7 Vocal mimicry, robots, and music

The ability to mimic sounds could be extremely common among corvids. Here, it has been found in 39 species (30%), but it is predicted that it could be present in around 82% of them.

(paper) link.springer.com/article/10.1...
November 14, 2025 at 11:52 PM
animal-prattle.bsky.social
Looks like a really nice use of a Bayesian approach to identify vocal mimicry -- now published in Animal Cognition

#prattle 💬
#bioacoustics
wascherclaudia.bsky.social Claudia Wascher @wascherclaudia.bsky.social · Oct 30
Very happy to see this collaboration with @babeheim.bsky.social published in Animal Cognition: 'Vocal mimicry in corvids'. Since posting the first preprint, we have identified evidence for vocal mimicry in 8 more species, thanks to the community highlighting additional sources #communityscience
November 14, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
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
Reposted by animal prattle
amyleedale.bsky.social
Looking for a PhD? 🦜
Interested in ornithology, animal behaviour, bioacoustics?

I am advertising a PhD on vocal communication in ring-necked parakeets tinyurl.com/44a3hcnz

Eligible candidates are encouraged to apply for University of Salford Widening Participation Scholarships tinyurl.com/4wtzzh3z
Genetic and Acoustic Diversity in an Invasive Parrot at University of Salford on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Genetic and Acoustic Diversity in an Invasive Parrot at University of Salford, listed on FindAPhD.com
tinyurl.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by animal prattle
wascherclaudia.bsky.social
Consider signing and sharing the petition by
@redwingsuk.bsky.social calling for limits on consumer fireworks to reduce harm to animals and wildlife: 🔗 lnkd.in/e-DCQGVB
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
November 5, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Reposted by animal prattle
wascherclaudia.bsky.social
As Bonfire Night approaches, new research lnkd.in/epBXK8Tu by @distrustful-dinos.bsky.social and me shows that fireworks significantly disturb urban corvids. OA: ecoevorxiv.org/repository/d...

#BonfireNight #Wildlife #AnimalWelfare #Corvids

📸 Photo: @distrustful-dinos.bsky.social
A picture of Berlin at night, fireworks are going off in the background and corvids are flying in the air. A picture of a hooded crow in a water puddle on the street. Some lights in the background. Picture of the Berlin skyline at night. Corvids are flying in the air.
November 5, 2025 at 11:39 AM
animal-prattle.bsky.social
Congrats to Chiti Arvind, V.V. Robin et al on this fantastic study!

#prattle 💬
#bioacoustics
#neuroskyence
animal-prattle.bsky.social animal prattle @animal-prattle.bsky.social · 29d
Curious about genes and vocal learning in the wild?

Check this out!
bit.ly/4oXExqp

1️⃣High-res bioacoustics+pop-gen in a vocal learning bird in the Western Ghats 🇮🇳
2️⃣Spatial variation in song and genetics but no clear association bw the two
➡️Genetic and vocal variation shaped by distinct processes!
Figure 1: a) Sampling locations: All coloured dots represent locations sampled, with genetic data (N = 13) (Grasshills - GR, Poovar - PV, Munnar (MN), Eravikulam (EV), Anaimudi (AM), Meeshapulimala (MP), Mathiketten (MT), Bandar (BD), Kookal (KK), Berijam (BJ), Kodaikanal (KD), Highwavies (HW), with warm to cool colours along an east-to-west gradient, and green is the southernmost site. The solid outer circles are locations sampled for songs (N = 7). Playback experiments were conducted in one location - KD. The pale green-shaded area indicates the 1400m elevational contour encompassing the Annamalai-Palani plateau (north) and the Highwavies range (south); the base layer represents the terrain contours. The solid black line represents the state boundary of Kerala (left) and Tamil Nadu (right). The inset map shows peninsular India with a blue rectangle highlighting the Anamalai-Palani and Highwavies ranges.
November 6, 2025 at 9:12 PM
animal-prattle.bsky.social
Curious about genes and vocal learning in the wild?

Check this out!
bit.ly/4oXExqp

1️⃣High-res bioacoustics+pop-gen in a vocal learning bird in the Western Ghats 🇮🇳
2️⃣Spatial variation in song and genetics but no clear association bw the two
➡️Genetic and vocal variation shaped by distinct processes!
Figure 1: a) Sampling locations: All coloured dots represent locations sampled, with genetic data (N = 13) (Grasshills - GR, Poovar - PV, Munnar (MN), Eravikulam (EV), Anaimudi (AM), Meeshapulimala (MP), Mathiketten (MT), Bandar (BD), Kookal (KK), Berijam (BJ), Kodaikanal (KD), Highwavies (HW), with warm to cool colours along an east-to-west gradient, and green is the southernmost site. The solid outer circles are locations sampled for songs (N = 7). Playback experiments were conducted in one location - KD. The pale green-shaded area indicates the 1400m elevational contour encompassing the Annamalai-Palani plateau (north) and the Highwavies range (south); the base layer represents the terrain contours. The solid black line represents the state boundary of Kerala (left) and Tamil Nadu (right). The inset map shows peninsular India with a blue rectangle highlighting the Anamalai-Palani and Highwavies ranges.
November 6, 2025 at 9:09 PM
animal-prattle.bsky.social
🗣️💬 Your brain understands what someone says *and* who said it -- how? 🧠

@eintzandt.bsky.social @ralphpeterson.bsky.social & Dan Sanes show in Mongolian gerbils that both vocalization type & social identity can be decoded from neural activity in auditory cortex

#prattle 💬
#neurosky
#neuroskyence
eintzandt.bsky.social Estelle in ‘t Zandt @eintzandt.bsky.social · Oct 27
Super excited to share the first part of my thesis work!

Perhaps how you might be able to both recognize someone’s voice *and* understand what they’re saying, we find that both social identity and vocalization category can be decoded from gerbil auditory cortex activity👂🧠

tinyurl.com/4fba6wk4
October 31, 2025 at 5:12 PM