Thomas MacGillavry
@thomasmacgillavry.bsky.social
PhD student researching animal behaviour, cognition, and communication |
Interested in avian rhythm and “dance” 💃🏻🕺🏼|
Love music, nature, bouldering, and exploring wild places 🌴 |
he/him |
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
Interested in avian rhythm and “dance” 💃🏻🕺🏼|
Love music, nature, bouldering, and exploring wild places 🌴 |
he/him |
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
Just leaving Melbourne after visiting good friends and seeing the amazing forests in the Dandenong range (feat. Koalas and wombats)
November 18, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Just leaving Melbourne after visiting good friends and seeing the amazing forests in the Dandenong range (feat. Koalas and wombats)
November 3, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Still scratching my head about whether female #magnificentriflebirds display back at males or if all those copulations I’ve filmed actually involve immature males
November 2, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Still scratching my head about whether female #magnificentriflebirds display back at males or if all those copulations I’ve filmed actually involve immature males
Sometimes your study animals don’t want to be watched
October 28, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Sometimes your study animals don’t want to be watched
Just realized its the 10th anniversary of this banger of an album. Nightwish’s Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Don’t know many other bands that infuse so much naturalism and natural history into their music 🌱
October 24, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Just realized its the 10th anniversary of this banger of an album. Nightwish’s Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Don’t know many other bands that infuse so much naturalism and natural history into their music 🌱
Super exciting camera trap haul here! Installed a camera on a suspicious fallen tree and got several new displays for a male that’s been eluding me so far!
Just look at this dancing black hole!
Just look at this dancing black hole!
October 14, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Super exciting camera trap haul here! Installed a camera on a suspicious fallen tree and got several new displays for a male that’s been eluding me so far!
Just look at this dancing black hole!
Just look at this dancing black hole!
#bowerbirds are the only birds that build structures used specifically for courtship. But why and how did this remarkable ability evolve?
We discuss some possibilities in our new review in Emu - Austral Ornithology!
@fusanilab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1080/0158...
We discuss some possibilities in our new review in Emu - Austral Ornithology!
@fusanilab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1080/0158...
October 7, 2025 at 9:07 AM
#bowerbirds are the only birds that build structures used specifically for courtship. But why and how did this remarkable ability evolve?
We discuss some possibilities in our new review in Emu - Austral Ornithology!
@fusanilab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1080/0158...
We discuss some possibilities in our new review in Emu - Austral Ornithology!
@fusanilab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1080/0158...
Victoria’s riflebirds are masters of time, accelerating their dance tempo by reducing the durations between movements by just 50 milliseconds, before leveling off at 3 alternations per second and flashing their yellow mouth.
Read more about this spectacular dance here:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Read more about this spectacular dance here:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
September 30, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Victoria’s riflebirds are masters of time, accelerating their dance tempo by reducing the durations between movements by just 50 milliseconds, before leveling off at 3 alternations per second and flashing their yellow mouth.
Read more about this spectacular dance here:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Read more about this spectacular dance here:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Very proud to present our paper on the spectacular “dances” of Victoria’s riflebirds!
Out now in Current Biology.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Out now in Current Biology.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
September 30, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Very proud to present our paper on the spectacular “dances” of Victoria’s riflebirds!
Out now in Current Biology.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Out now in Current Biology.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Riflebirds riflebirding
September 29, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Riflebirds riflebirding
Updates from the field 🦜
September 29, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Updates from the field 🦜
My walk home from some bird filming ❤️
September 15, 2025 at 8:14 AM
My walk home from some bird filming ❤️
Quick visit to Chilli beach the other day here in Cape York. 🏝️
September 14, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Quick visit to Chilli beach the other day here in Cape York. 🏝️
First camera trap footage looking interesting #birdsofparadise
September 10, 2025 at 8:53 AM
First camera trap footage looking interesting #birdsofparadise
Which #birdofparadise are we filming?
September 6, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Which #birdofparadise are we filming?
Officially made it to the CYP! Time for some #magnificentriflebird field work 🤟🏻
September 4, 2025 at 6:45 AM
Officially made it to the CYP! Time for some #magnificentriflebird field work 🤟🏻
Had a wonderful time presenting my work on #birdsofparadise at @behaviour2025.bsky.social yesterday! So many great talks and posters around and a very enthusiastic and clever bunch of scientists!
August 30, 2025 at 4:53 AM
Had a wonderful time presenting my work on #birdsofparadise at @behaviour2025.bsky.social yesterday! So many great talks and posters around and a very enthusiastic and clever bunch of scientists!
Making some naughty illustrations for a possible natural history note
August 16, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Making some naughty illustrations for a possible natural history note
Stag beetles are one of my favorite animals! Not only charismatic and beautiful, but also an amazing example of animal weaponry ⚔️
July 12, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Stag beetles are one of my favorite animals! Not only charismatic and beautiful, but also an amazing example of animal weaponry ⚔️
I like the idea of commissioning proper illustrations for research papers, especially of dancing birdos. These were done by Joris de Raedt (www.jorisderaedt.com) and have a nice spot in my living room!
Check out his work!
Check out his work!
July 4, 2025 at 2:12 PM
I like the idea of commissioning proper illustrations for research papers, especially of dancing birdos. These were done by Joris de Raedt (www.jorisderaedt.com) and have a nice spot in my living room!
Check out his work!
Check out his work!
Throwback to my wee paper describing a probable case of sneak copulation in Magnificent bird of paradise being featured on the front cover of Ethology
Photo by Dustin Chen
Check it out here:
doi.org/10.1111/eth....
Photo by Dustin Chen
Check it out here:
doi.org/10.1111/eth....
June 25, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Throwback to my wee paper describing a probable case of sneak copulation in Magnificent bird of paradise being featured on the front cover of Ethology
Photo by Dustin Chen
Check it out here:
doi.org/10.1111/eth....
Photo by Dustin Chen
Check it out here:
doi.org/10.1111/eth....
Always fun to measure some museum birdos @nhmwien.bsky.social
Looking at colour, black plumage, and reflectance angles ✨
Looking at colour, black plumage, and reflectance angles ✨
June 17, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Always fun to measure some museum birdos @nhmwien.bsky.social
Looking at colour, black plumage, and reflectance angles ✨
Looking at colour, black plumage, and reflectance angles ✨