Lots of things going on but here's another story published today www.theguardian.com/environment/...

It is great to be back in the Moluccas, Indonesia, this time conducting a research project on parrots, genetics, and the wildlife trade. I’m grateful for all my local collaborators and the funders (ARC and Fundación Loro Parque) to make this investigation a reality. @arc-gov-au.bsky.social

On Friday @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social published our literature review on orange-bellied parrots! Everything you wanted to know about these adorable bird; plus, some very cute videos I’ve accumulated over the years 😍 Free to read! birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/...

In nice news, we recently published a literature review for swift parrots with @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social read all about everything you ever wanted to know about swift parrots for free 💚 birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/...

🚨NEW SCIENCE ALERT!🚨Read our new, open-access publication in Scientific Reports (@nature.com) describing #biofluorescence in #cassowary casques! Very excited to unveil this after keeping it secret for 5 years⬇️ www.nature.com/articles/s41... NYITCOM @akiopteryx.bsky.social @jonathanberman.bsky.social

Superb parrots are simply gorgeous

This brood of blue-winged parrots are all tucked up in a hollow fence post - when the nest is right it doesn’t necessarily matter to them if it’s not in a tree 🤷‍♂️😍

The need to preserve animal culture in conservation efforts. 🪶 Gift link.

Watch this cool video about my mate George’s new research! It’s nice seeing in full something I’d heard about in snippets for a long time. Such cool work

Parrots, ancient DNA, and a long trek across the Andes! 🦜🧬🏔️ Check out the video summary for our latest @natcomms.nature.com paper by @wildlifemessengers.org. We discovered pre-Inca societies transported live Amazonian parrots from the rainforest to the Pacific coast: youtu.be/Vb5eoTaGLO0

Huge thanks to Prof. Izumi Shimada and my amazing co-authors for this incredible cross-disciplinary journey fusing #ecology, #genomics, and #archaeology. @paleodnaunizar.bsky.social @dnatimetravel.bsky.social @acadresearch.bsky.social @anufennerschool.bsky.social @kingsforensics.bsky.social

Isotopes showed the birds survived the trade and lived on the coast, eating a diet of maize (possibly fertilised by seabird guano). 🌽🌊 This proves pre-Inca regional states managed vast, complex trade networks centuries before the Inca Empire.

🧬 Using ancient DNA and stable isotopes from 600–1,000-year-old feathers found at Pachacamac, Peru, we found these birds were possibly wild-caught in the rainforest and carried over 500 km across 3,000-metre mountain passes. 🏔️ A great logistical feat in pre-Inca cultures!

🦜🏔️ How did vibrant Amazonian parrot feathers end up in a desert tomb on the Pacific coast of Peru 1,000 years ago? Our new paper on @natcomms.nature.com reveals they didn't just trade feathers, pre-Inca societies transported live macaws and parrots across the Andes!👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New paper out in ecology letters! with @andylee.bsky.social @allydefduf.bsky.social We synthesized the active debate on how scientists define sex, including limitations and assumptions. We believe this discussion will lead to more accurate science. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

A breakdown of how these singing classes work, and how you graduate. @teamswiftparrot.bsky.social

Fenner School scientists from the Difficult Bird Research Group have rescued the lost song of the regent honeyeater, offering new hope for the survival of the critically endangered bird: bit.ly/4l2D5Cc @teamswiftparrot.bsky.social

New paper alert! 🦜 We gave wild cockatoos puzzle boxes across Canberra’s urban gradient. The finding? Urban birds approach faster, but are not better solvers. Our results suggest that urbanization shapes neophobia independently from cognitive performance. Read it here: doi.org/10.1093/behe...

#science #birds #conservation

New research on orange-bellied parrots! We simulated the consequences of rising mortality rates on the tiny population- an emerging risk in their migration range We found even a few extra deaths/year negates 💰 conservation efforts zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

New research on orange-bellied parrots! We simulated the consequences of rising mortality rates on the tiny population- an emerging risk in their migration range We found even a few extra deaths/year negates 💰 conservation efforts zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Five gnarly little blue winged parrots in a fence post

This is the most incredible footage of blue whales I’ve ever seen

A study I led came out in Nature Cities yesterday! We used radar to study the role that urban landscapes play in migratory bird stopover. Spoiler: birds use cities a lot, and the patterns of their use reflect social processes and the inequities embedded in them. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

The Australia government’s decision to allow Alcoa to continue clearing WA forest was made in part due to a critical minerals deal reached between Australia and the Trump administration last year. A document also shows the environment dept had told Alcoa since 2011 its clearing required approval.

Today I met a puppy, had a FaceTime with Gigi and my violet opened- on balance a good day

Here is the spoken cartoon version of my tribute to Jon Kudelka www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cv9...

we said goodbye to jon @kudelka.bsky.social today. if you couldn’t be there or watch the livestream - it was a heartbreakingly beautiful celebration of a truly wonderful man. i loved hearing so many stories about him from so many people who loved him. how lucky we all were to know him ♥️

The funeral for Jon Kudelka was both beautiful and deeply sad - he loved our difficult birds and was a staunch protector of Tasmanian nature - he will be missed and is a tragically gone too soon 💙

The first #kakapo chick for four years hatched two days ago (on Valentine’s Day for those who like to anthropomorphise!). Here’s Tiwhiri-A1-2026 in Yasmine’s nest. 📸: Deidre Vercoe. www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-r... #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots #birds

The utter sham of offsets, yet again... “Destroying the equivalent of 40 MCGs worth of greater glider habitat and then attempting to relocate all hollows and claim this somehow offsets the harm to greater gliders is genuinely deluded, and contemptuous.” - me www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Here is my cartoon about Mr Jon Kudelka www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Putting a superb parrot chick back into their nest - look at that gorgeous tree hollow!

It’s officially a wrap on the most wildly busy field season of my career - this gang gang is giving an insight into the team vibe right now

My house is full of Jon Kudelka art - lots of happy sad memories of a really top notch bloke

i can’t help but think how much he would hate all the fuss but guess what you grumpy bastard you are so incredibly loved by so many people. rest in power jon ♥️ www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...

Vale Jon Kudelka @kudelka.bsky.social and deepest condolences to family and friends We were honoured to have Jon draw 3 cartoons for a series of articles we published on political donations reform in Tasmania #auspol #politas Thank you Jon

Vale @kudelka.bsky.social - gone too soon

Richard Dawkins. Steven Pinker. Lawrence Krauss. Jonathan Haidt. Robert Trivers. Prominent atheists and scientists who have pushed anti-trans propaganda for years. They all had ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Some received huge research grants and island trips, and all of them benefited from their ties.

We got to face time my little niece and I got to meet her mates ❤️

Female #kakapo Phoenix on her nest yesterday, with three eggs. We suspect they're infertile, but it's hard to tell yet as they're either very dirty or young. She's one of at least 24 female kākāpō on nests on Anchor Island, with 3 more nests found today! #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots

If I didn’t have photos you probably wouldn’t actually believe this is how gnarly baby gang gangs are 🥴❤️

I also love that you can see me in my dumb straw hat reflected in its eye 👀👀👀

Look at the gorgeous green red grey combo on this baby gang gang - such a beautifully unexpected mix of colours

You need a lot of confidence to rock a hairstyle like this 😆 A pink cockatoo at Kinchega National Park, New South Wales.

Female #kakapo Atareta on her nest on Anchor two days ago. She has at least two eggs, which we'll "candle" to determine fertility in a few days' time, when the oldest is about 10 days old. The nest is huge, so it will be hard to access the eggs. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #parrots

One more beautiful firetail - so bloody gorgeous

Today I had the good fortune of meeting a few beautiful firetails and until now I far not fully appreciated their fantastic snoots

Also - when I got to the beach randomly there was an eel that had beached itself and was about to become gull dinner! It swam away after I pushed it back to the sea - very random

I had a lovely day in the southwest of Tasmania today - 36km walked and a whole lot of plant surveys 💚