in hindsight, this one was a little too birder-specific to make it into the New Yorker

Did you know there are 2 types of avocado varieties? A-types switch from female to male, B-types male to female, within a single day. This reciprocal sex alternation promotes cross-pollination and has a simple genetic basis. Read more in this recent preprint from the final chapter of my PhD thesis 🥑

Awesome article in @science.org on @danielgeldof.bsky.social Master's thesis on the secret of the rockhead poacher’s (Bothragonus swanii) unusual cranial anatomy. Daniel did some beautiful CT scans on this odd fish's head. www.science.org/content/arti...

For #BirdOfTheDay #Oustretched, an Agami Heron #CostaRica #birds #birdphotography #nature

Powerful Rest And Fluids Industry Influencing Doctors' Treatment Of Colds https://theonion.com/powerful-rest-and-fluids-industry-influencing-doctors-t-1819570463/

How should the discipline of ecology and the community of ecologists respond to the ecological crisis? Is it time that these were put on something more akin to an emergency footing? www.cell.com/action/showP...

I wrote about the word of the year

Delighted that the editors let me keep "sexpocalypse" in the headline of my first ever feature for @sciam.bsky.social! I had a lot of fun writing this: www.scientificamerican.com/article/glob... (You'll need a subscription to read it.) 🧪

A good time for a reminder that the BIO Directorate will hold a Virtual Office Hour on Thursday www.nsf.gov/events/nsf-b...

Jared Kushner wants to build a Trump-branded hotel complex on a Belgrade site bombed by NATO. It's getting messy. Serbian protesters are taking to the streets; an alleged forgery investigation; Serbian parliamentary fights and vows to occupy the site www.wsj.com/world/trump-...

So excited to share our new work out in @evolletters.bsky.social today! doi.org/10.1093/evle... Sexual signals and preferences for them often differ across groups, contributing to reproductive isolation. But how do new signals evolve if females already have preferences for existing ones? (1/4)

My constituent, Wilmer, was mauled by an ICE attack dog despite the fact that, as he has consistently explained, he was not resisting arrest or trying to flee—his wife and young children, all U.S. citizens, were forced to watch helplessly as Wilmer was violently attacked and dragged away.

Here is a little natural history observation that my brother and I made in the farm were we grew up and joined forces with Emilie Snell-Rood to help us make sense of the pattern.

I’m recruiting a PhD and MSC student for fall 2026 working on the movement ecology and conservation of Mexican spotted owls in SW forests and rocky canyonlands. Exciting partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory. Great vibrant lab group, high impact research! 🦉 gavinmjones.com/opportunities/

Check out this new paper in the Frontiers of Biogeography, the flagship journal of @biogeography.bsky.social, on historical distribution and habitat of American chestnut by Joyce Klaus & Nathan Klaus. And as always - support our society by publishing with us! biogeography.pensoft.net/article/1619...

I'm at the combination

I love Letters to a Pre-Scientist week! This round, my pre-scientist pen pal (whose stem interest was "not at all") asked me about cool lizards. I doubt they've ever seen this buff worm! (Mexican worm lizard, Bipes biporus)

This is what a billion passenger pigeons could do to a forest:

Folks: I will be flying an ad for well funded PhD and MSc positions in the coming days. If you want to do movement ecology and conservation with these incredible animals… watch this space 🦉🌲

In time for the festive season, my latest paper charts the 25 million year story of how mistletoe and songbirds somersaulted across the Americas, diversifying as they went.  Strap in for an epic ecological tale #MistletoeMunchersFromWayBack 1/12 nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Valid link to the paper: mapress.com/zt/article/v...

Newly expanded version of my guide to scientific writing -- known as the “15 steps” -- published in PLOS Computational Biology. Special thanks to Éric Marty for creating a fantastic visualization. Check it out: journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol... #ScientificWriting #PLOSComputationalBiology

writing can be good dynamite plots are evil Ben loves him some birds just one of many delightful end of class haikus by students in my Scientific Writing class

getting way too into refreshing the CIOS page to see response rates go up

Tossed out this bit of shameless self-promotion on insta last week and figured I’d post here too: my own shit makes great holiday gifts! Twenty-five buckaroos gets you a signed and personalized copy of either of my books; DM for details. Help me afford a haircut and a razor!

Someone who bought a frog facts advent calendar for a friend's kid last year just emailed me. Apparently that kid got a different advent calendar this year, and when he opened it he said, “These are HORRIBLE! They’re not teaching me anything about frogs!” This kid gets it.

thanks to @theconversation.com for this! theconversation.com/new-study-fi...

What makes a mountaineer bird? We have published the first complete genome assembly for Redstarts (Genus: Phoenicurus), found across Asia, Europe, and Africa. Black redstarts genome has 30% repeats, second highest known in passerines. #genomics #ornithology www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I'm hiring a full time fixed-term 1yr lab tech to assist with field and greenhouse projects related to floral evolution and plant reproductive ecology. Please share! Ideal start date early 2026. jobs.clemson.edu/psc/ps/JOBS/...

Cancer remission. xkcd.com/3172/

Colorado brought wolves back for the first time in 80 years, but now a few years into the historic reintroduction, many of them are dead. Restoring predators is never simple and the real test is just beginning. @benjij.bsky.social for @vox.com: www.vox.com/climate/4700...

Today in ornithological news: Canada gains a duck museum! www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Short story Sunday: There once was a California newt heading down a leafy trail 1/??

wonderful news!!!

I am older than the term "biodiversity"

Writing papers is hard But, and this is Very important: Not writing papers is also hard The frustration & stress that comes from not getting your papers written and published is huge If you need help with this PLEASE, take a copy of my book from a library, amazon or a friend! I hope it helps💪

In other fun ornithological news: Vancouver has a new Professional Women's Hockey League team, named the Goldeneyes! And yes, they are named after Common Goldeneyes, a favourite of our local wintering birds. 😀 www.thepwhl.com/en/teams/van...

I mean, the title says it all: Genetic confirmation of an “uncommon mourningthroat” (Geothlypis philadelphia  ×  G. trichas): A rare but persistent hybrid warbler. Fun stuff with @kevinfpbennett.bsky.social and Kurt Gielow, OA in @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social! 🦉 🧪 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

a hemispingus walks into the bar...

I want someone to make a Merlin app but it's just Mark Catesby's descriptions of birds from 1732. "This Bird, by its ungrateful brawling Noise, seems at Variance and displeased with all others" is a great field mark

We are recruiting field technicians to contribute to a field study of adaptation to climate in Chamaecrista fasciculata in Raleigh/Chapel Hill, NC. My collaborators at UGA will soon post similar positions in Ithaca, NY and Archbold Biological Station, FL. Please share jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/225...

Take three minutes to look at pretty birds, explore radar data, and see how we connect the structure of skies to MacArthur's ideas of niche partitioning. 📡🐦☁️🎧

🚨Job opportunity🚨 We are hiring a 3yr research technician. If you love fieldwork, are passionate about forests & mountains, and want to up-skill in remote sensing, sensor networks and running field experiments this could be the dream job for you! 🧪🌳⛰️🛰️🌡️🍄 www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...

Look at that adorable deer mouse with the Rocky Mountains in the background. Nice job @jpvelotta.bsky.social and team on nabbing the image! #fieldwins

Super excited for this project and grateful to the John Templeton Foundation for support!

Anyone looking for a Australia-based postdoc? Like animal behaviour / coding / birds? My fantastic collaborator, Iliana Medina, is advertising a position researching bird nests: unimelb.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/UoM_Ex...

Why did I only just find out that that there are water striders that live IN (ON!!) THE OPEN OCEAN? 🧪 OCEAN STRIDERS!!

Thanks for this contribution to "Ecology"!👏

Indeed! This is what PEEER @peeer.bsky.social promotes and the reason for creating @biogeographyjfab.bsky.social for a more ethical and equitable publishing environment for the #Biogeography community. Stay tuned for the lunch of Biogeography in early 20206! biog.journals.sup.org/index.php/bi...

Join us! 🧬🪰🎉🔬 We are currently advertising two #PhD projects to study the #evolution, #development and #genomics of sexual traits in stalk-eyed flies. Deadline for applying is Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Get in touch for more info!