Marc Gilles
@marcgilles.bsky.social
Behavioural ecologist investigating the smell of birds | Animal behaviour | Chemical communication | Ornithology | https://marc-gilles.github.io/ | Looking for a Postdoc position!
[he/him]
[he/him]
Want to know everything about bird smell?
I wrote an "Ornithological masterclass" on Avian Olfaction for BTO News @btobirds.bsky.social #ornithology
Link to the article 👉 www.researchgate.net/publication/...
I wrote an "Ornithological masterclass" on Avian Olfaction for BTO News @btobirds.bsky.social #ornithology
Link to the article 👉 www.researchgate.net/publication/...
October 8, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Want to know everything about bird smell?
I wrote an "Ornithological masterclass" on Avian Olfaction for BTO News @btobirds.bsky.social #ornithology
Link to the article 👉 www.researchgate.net/publication/...
I wrote an "Ornithological masterclass" on Avian Olfaction for BTO News @btobirds.bsky.social #ornithology
Link to the article 👉 www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Here is the full poster, in case people here are interested in reading it 👀
August 26, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Here is the full poster, in case people here are interested in reading it 👀
Presenting posters with @laujeanjean.bsky.social at @ecobhvr2025.bsky.social in Montpellier, a fantastic (and free!) conference for early-career researchers 👌
August 16, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Presenting posters with @laujeanjean.bsky.social at @ecobhvr2025.bsky.social in Montpellier, a fantastic (and free!) conference for early-career researchers 👌
Ocelots and opposums hanging out together in the Amazon 🤩
Beyond predator and prey: First evidence of an association between ocelot and opossum individuals
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Beyond predator and prey: First evidence of an association between ocelot and opossum individuals
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
July 8, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Ocelots and opposums hanging out together in the Amazon 🤩
Beyond predator and prey: First evidence of an association between ocelot and opossum individuals
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Beyond predator and prey: First evidence of an association between ocelot and opossum individuals
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
My PhD thesis has been published!
pub.uni-bielefeld.de/record/2993613
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
pub.uni-bielefeld.de/record/2993613
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
January 9, 2025 at 1:21 PM
My PhD thesis has been published!
pub.uni-bielefeld.de/record/2993613
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
pub.uni-bielefeld.de/record/2993613
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
2024 was an important year for me, as I became on doctor (on the smell of birds, yes)
January 9, 2025 at 1:19 PM
2024 was an important year for me, as I became on doctor (on the smell of birds, yes)
New paper out! I am really proud of this one sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @asab.org 🤩
Can chicks recognise their parents by smell?
We tested this in white-fronted plovers using a Y-maze in the field in Madagascar
Can chicks recognise their parents by smell?
We tested this in white-fronted plovers using a Y-maze in the field in Madagascar
December 6, 2024 at 2:51 PM
New paper out! I am really proud of this one sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @asab.org 🤩
Can chicks recognise their parents by smell?
We tested this in white-fronted plovers using a Y-maze in the field in Madagascar
Can chicks recognise their parents by smell?
We tested this in white-fronted plovers using a Y-maze in the field in Madagascar
... nest, thereby protecting clutches from predation. In contrast, we found NO diester in the preen oil of incubating Kentish plovers, suggesting that preen oil may not have a such a function in this species (7/7)
May 22, 2024 at 1:01 PM
... nest, thereby protecting clutches from predation. In contrast, we found NO diester in the preen oil of incubating Kentish plovers, suggesting that preen oil may not have a such a function in this species (7/7)
Does preen oil have a function in incubation in Kentish plovers? It is still unclear.
In previous work, Reneerkens et al. found that the preen oil of other shorebirds shifts from monoesters to diesters during incubation, which seems to reduce odours at the... (6/7)
In previous work, Reneerkens et al. found that the preen oil of other shorebirds shifts from monoesters to diesters during incubation, which seems to reduce odours at the... (6/7)
May 22, 2024 at 1:00 PM
Does preen oil have a function in incubation in Kentish plovers? It is still unclear.
In previous work, Reneerkens et al. found that the preen oil of other shorebirds shifts from monoesters to diesters during incubation, which seems to reduce odours at the... (6/7)
In previous work, Reneerkens et al. found that the preen oil of other shorebirds shifts from monoesters to diesters during incubation, which seems to reduce odours at the... (6/7)
This result (absence of sex difference in a biparentally incubating species) is in line with the predictions from our recent comparative analysis (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....) (5/7)
May 22, 2024 at 12:57 PM
This result (absence of sex difference in a biparentally incubating species) is in line with the predictions from our recent comparative analysis (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....) (5/7)
As predicted, we found no sex difference, neither in beta nor alpha diversity (4/7)
May 22, 2024 at 12:56 PM
As predicted, we found no sex difference, neither in beta nor alpha diversity (4/7)
We sampled preen oil from 9 females and 11 males during incubation in Samouco (Portugal) and we analysed them with GC-MS (3/7)
May 22, 2024 at 12:56 PM
We sampled preen oil from 9 females and 11 males during incubation in Samouco (Portugal) and we analysed them with GC-MS (3/7)
Preen oil may have a role in incubation (e.g. chemical defense against eggshell bacteria, olfactory crypsis against predators).
Because both sexes incubate in Kentish plovers, we predicted that preen oil would not differ between sexes during incubation (2/7)
Because both sexes incubate in Kentish plovers, we predicted that preen oil would not differ between sexes during incubation (2/7)
May 22, 2024 at 12:52 PM
Preen oil may have a role in incubation (e.g. chemical defense against eggshell bacteria, olfactory crypsis against predators).
Because both sexes incubate in Kentish plovers, we predicted that preen oil would not differ between sexes during incubation (2/7)
Because both sexes incubate in Kentish plovers, we predicted that preen oil would not differ between sexes during incubation (2/7)
New paper out! 👉 peerj.com/articles/172...
Do female and male Kentish plovers differ in their preen oil chemical composition? No, they don’t! (find out more in the thread below) (1/7)
#ornithology #preenoil #birdsmell @peerj.bsky.social
Do female and male Kentish plovers differ in their preen oil chemical composition? No, they don’t! (find out more in the thread below) (1/7)
#ornithology #preenoil #birdsmell @peerj.bsky.social
May 22, 2024 at 12:51 PM
New paper out! 👉 peerj.com/articles/172...
Do female and male Kentish plovers differ in their preen oil chemical composition? No, they don’t! (find out more in the thread below) (1/7)
#ornithology #preenoil #birdsmell @peerj.bsky.social
Do female and male Kentish plovers differ in their preen oil chemical composition? No, they don’t! (find out more in the thread below) (1/7)
#ornithology #preenoil #birdsmell @peerj.bsky.social
Less than a month to submit your article to our special issue in Animal Behaviour!
May 6, 2024 at 10:10 AM
Less than a month to submit your article to our special issue in Animal Behaviour!
💥🎉🐦🎊💪🔥💃🎓
PhD thesis printed and submitted!
PhD thesis printed and submitted!
April 2, 2024 at 2:49 PM
💥🎉🐦🎊💪🔥💃🎓
PhD thesis printed and submitted!
PhD thesis printed and submitted!
We extended the deadline to submit abstracts to the special issue "Chemical Communication and Behaviour" to 𝟯𝟭 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰!
March 18, 2024 at 9:30 AM
We extended the deadline to submit abstracts to the special issue "Chemical Communication and Behaviour" to 𝟯𝟭 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰!
Deadline to submit to our special issue on "Chemical Communication and Behaviour" is approaching!
More information rb.gy/damqo
More information rb.gy/damqo
March 7, 2024 at 1:59 PM
Deadline to submit to our special issue on "Chemical Communication and Behaviour" is approaching!
More information rb.gy/damqo
More information rb.gy/damqo
Laurence Jeanjean presented our study on flycatcher preen oil (part 2!) at the EthoGes conference in Münster 🙌
February 25, 2024 at 7:46 PM
Laurence Jeanjean presented our study on flycatcher preen oil (part 2!) at the EthoGes conference in Münster 🙌
Our paper on pied flycatcher preen oil is in the highlights of
@ibisjournal.bsky.social! 🤩
@ibisjournal.bsky.social! 🤩
January 11, 2024 at 3:37 PM
Our paper on pied flycatcher preen oil is in the highlights of
@ibisjournal.bsky.social! 🤩
@ibisjournal.bsky.social! 🤩
And here are some geese and a rainbow over the Wadden Sea
November 23, 2023 at 9:57 AM
And here are some geese and a rainbow over the Wadden Sea
We made a few nice observations including a white-taile eagle, harbour seals, sanderlings and snow buntings (and bearded reedlings!)
November 23, 2023 at 9:55 AM
We made a few nice observations including a white-taile eagle, harbour seals, sanderlings and snow buntings (and bearded reedlings!)
One week teaching about birds and R: another great field course at the Wadden Sea!
November 23, 2023 at 9:53 AM
One week teaching about birds and R: another great field course at the Wadden Sea!
I love goldcrests
November 17, 2023 at 4:36 PM
I love goldcrests