Grace Blackburn
@gblackburn.bsky.social
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📥 52
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Behavioral Ecology
about 2 months ago
Response to intruder number is related to spontaneous quantity discrimination performance in a wild bird
#bird
#Cognition
#NumberSense
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
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The media release for our recent article on magpie quantity discrimination is out now! Check it out below 🐦⬇️
www.uwa.edu.au/news/article...
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Magpies can identify quantities of food and intruder calls
New research has shown for the first time that magpies can distinguish between the number of callers when played recordings of intruder magpies.
https://www.uwa.edu.au/news/article/2025/september/magpies-can-identify-quantities-of-food-and-intruder-calls
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Mylène Dutour
about 2 months ago
Thrilled to see our magpie research featured in "Why Do Birds Sing?" now out and recently highlighted in The Canberra Times! Amazing to see how our work on female song and social complexity in magpies is resonating ❤️
@mandyridley.bsky.social
@gblackburn.bsky.social
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Professor Euan Ritchie
2 months ago
Protecting darkness and minimising light pollution is important for human and wildlife health. Please consider signing and sharing this petition. Petition EN7346 - National Legislation for Light Pollution Regulation and Dark Sky Preservation
www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/...
Closes 19 September.
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e-petitions
e-petitions
https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN7346
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Mandy Ridley
3 months ago
Our new cognition paper is out, headed by
@gblackburn.bsky.social
, and one of the last chapters from her exceptional PhD thesis!
add a skeleton here at some point
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New paper alert 🚨 We test quantity discrimination in
#magpies
using both a cognitive task and playback experiment and find that birds can discriminate between quantities in both! Interestingly, performance in the two task was negatively correlated! 🐦
@mandyridley.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
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Response to intruder number is related to spontaneous quantity discrimination performance in a wild bird
The ability to discriminate between quantities is important for animal species. We show that wild magpies can discriminate both between different quantitie
https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araf093
3 months ago
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Pauline Grierson
3 months ago
Researchers across the major universities in Western Australia working in partnership with government epitomise the multi-faceted approaches required to deal with shot-hole borer.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...
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Worms eat tree-killing beetle in research trial as scientists team up
Researchers say a chemical trial and a biological trial using worms have shown early success in the fight against the shot-hole borer, which has led to the destruction of thousands of Perth's trees.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-03/shot-hole-borer-pest-management-progress-perth-trees/105603174
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Holly Kirk
4 months ago
Interesting research, suggesting poorly designed or excessive private lighting is contributing as much to ALAN pollution as street lights. 🌏🧪 This seems to be one of the few areas where our own actions can make a significant positive contribution! Turn it off! 💡
theconversation.com/street-lamps...
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Street lamps aren’t the only form of artificial light pollution – here’s how to create darker nights
Light Pollution is a significant environmental issue and is spreading rapidly. The good news is that it is easy to fix - find out how here…
https://theconversation.com/street-lamps-arent-the-only-form-of-artificial-light-pollution-heres-how-to-create-darker-nights-260514
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Centre for Evolutionary Biology at UWA
5 months ago
Check out new
#CEB
paper by
@gblackburn.bsky.social
et al. that found that Western Australia magpies sing less when exposed to anthropogenic noise, but not necessarily louder. 🐦🚧 This may save energy, yet could cost social & territorial signals.
doi.org/10.1111/ibi....
#Bioacoustics
#UrbanEcology
add a skeleton here at some point
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Another
#PhD
chapter out in the world! We investigate the impact of anthropogenic
#noise
on the territorial song of WA magpies 🔊🐦🔊
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@mandyridley.bsky.social
@cornishjackdaws.bsky.social
@dutourmylene.bsky.social
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Western Australian Magpies alter the rate, but not the amplitude, of their territorial song in anthropogenic noise
Anthropogenic noise is considered one of the most serious forms of pollution globally and has been shown to have negative effects on the distribution, behaviour, cognition and reproductive success of...
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ibi.13421
5 months ago
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Mandy Ridley
5 months ago
Our new paper, led by
@gblackburn.bsky.social
, finds a very sharp decline in the rate of carol calls (the main territorial call) given by magpies during anthropogenic noise, but no change in the amplitude.
@dutourmylene.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
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Western Australian Magpies alter the rate, but not the amplitude, of their territorial song in anthropogenic noise
Anthropogenic noise is considered one of the most serious forms of pollution globally and has been shown to have negative effects on the distribution, behaviour, cognition and reproductive success of...
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ibi.13421
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Our new
#cognition
paper, led by Masters student Holly Hunter, has just been published in Animal Cognition!
doi.org/10.1007/s100...
@ceb-uwa.bsky.social
@mandyridley.bsky.social
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Group size affects spontaneous quantity discrimination performance in wild Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis) - Animal Cognition
Animals may benefit from the ability to discriminate between quantities in their environment; for example, when choosing between foraging patches differing in food availability or assessing the size o...
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-025-01963-0
6 months ago
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Mandy Ridley
9 months ago
@gblackburn.bsky.social
& I recently wrote this piece in Nature Climate Change about the potential conservation implications of climate-induced divergence of song. This may occur more often under a rapidly changing climate & cause greater isolation between popns.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Climate-induced divergence of song - Nature Climate Change
Vocal communication is essential for information transmission in many species, such as that related to mating opportunities or predator presence. Recent research revealing how phenotypic changes broug...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-024-02222-9
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Rob Davis
9 months ago
Great piece on our new research highlighting the severe impact of using second generation anticoagulant rodenticides. We are killing quolls snd Tasmanian devils when we poison rats.
www.watoday.com.au/national/wes...
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Australia-first study finds rat poison in rare Perth Hills chuditch
New evidence shows the first confirmed cases of rat poisoning in native Australian marsupial carnivores.
https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/australia-first-study-finds-rat-poison-in-rare-perth-hills-chuditch-20250214-p5lc7s.html
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reposted by
Grace Blackburn
Jon Evans
9 months ago
Lethal second-generation rat poisons are killing endangered quolls and Tasmanian devils
theconversation.com/lethal-secon...
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Lethal second-generation rat poisons are killing endangered quolls and Tasmanian devils
Second generation rat poisons are so potent that they’re banned for home use in Europe and North America. But here, you can pick them up at Bunnings or Coles.
https://theconversation.com/lethal-second-generation-rat-poisons-are-killing-endangered-quolls-and-tasmanian-devils-250035?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=bylineblueskybutton
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Happy to share that today I started a
#Postdoctoral
#research
fellow position at Central Queensland University working with Capricorn yellow
#chats
! 🐦 Very excited for this new adventure!
9 months ago
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