Today, the last fledgies successfully left their nest, marking the end of the 2025 breeding season! We monitored 57 nests and banded 71 chicks this year 🐣 let's hope all the young balls of dust do well 💪🏻 #SFW_ANU #birds #ecology #superbfairywren @sramellini.bsky.social @franhckr.bsky.social

MAJOR NEWS! We just launched an awesome new tool! The illustrated Birds of the World Phylogeny Explorer lets users trace any bird’s lineage, compare species relationships, and explore major evolutionary milestones with a click of a button. SHARE and EXPLORE! birdsoftheworld.org/bow/news/phy...

Today marks most chicks banded in a day during this breeding season! They are definitely going better now that the currawongs have some cicadas to snack on 🦗 #SFW_ANU #ecology #birds #superbfairywren

With this festive combination of bands we wish everyone a joyful holiday season! Let's all rest up for a refreshed start to 2026! Happy Holidays 🎁

Interesting new study on the costs of ornamentation in red-backed fairywrens! #fairywrens #birds #ecology doi.org/10.1093/behe...

The breeding season is in full swing! After some troubles with currawong predation, most of the groups are on their second or third nest, and all the parents are busy provisioning their young 🦗🐦 30 chicks banded so far! #superbfairywren #SFW_ANU #birds #ecology

Multi-generational fidelity, ecological and social determinants of roosting in a cooperatively breeding bird (Argya squamiceps) royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... | #RSOS #Behaviour #Ecology

📢NEW paper out NOW in @asab.org Animal Behaviour on how a novel #call changes subsequent responses to #alarms in #fairywrens 🌟CONGRATULATIONS #NatalieTegtman on #first paper from #PhD 👥With #RobMagrath @bristolbiosci.bsky.social #animalcommunication #birds #fieldwork #ECR doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

Trapped between darkness and heat: desert birds (Argya squamiceps) initiate daily activity earlier (and terminate it later) in response to heat | royalsocietypublishi... | Proceedings of the Royal Society B | #ornithology 🪶

Ecological Constraints Alone Cannot Explain Delayed Dispersal in Splendid Fairywrens | doi.org/10.1093/behe... | Behavioral Ecology | #ornithology 🪶

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by our posters! Both sessions were very successful and we had some really interesting discussions. Always great to see so much fairywren love 🐦 #AOC2025 #SFW_ANU @sramellini.bsky.social @franhckr.bsky.social

#AOC2025 has started! A great morning including bird walks and an interesting plenary on female colour and song. If you're keen on project updates, attend @sramellini.bsky.social's talk at 14:00 and @franhckr.bsky.social's talk at 14:45 (same session). Also, stop by our posters today and tomorrow!

Ornamentation is associated with social costs in male red-backed fairywrens (Malurus melanocephalus) | doi.org/10.1093/behe... | Behavioral Ecology | #ornithology 🪶

#CIO2025 (Italian Conference of Ornithology) is now finished! @sramellini.bsky.social organised a symposium on the overlooked non-breeding season and presented his results on the territorial stability of superb fairywrens. He won 'Highly Commended' for his presentation, congrats!

Today's fieldwork assistant was very keen to check the temperature data we are collecting 🐦‍⬛☀️ #SFW_ANU #birds #ecology #ornithology

One of our project member's first PhD paper is now out!! Congratulations 🎉

On Tuesday, @sramellini.bsky.social spoke to ABC Radio Canberra Drive about superb fairywrens and the #SFW_ANU project. If you missed it, you can listen to it here (from minute 07:50): www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

In today's lab meeting we updated @damienfarine.bsky.social's website with a project overview and also added our finalised logo! Check it out here: sites.google.com/site/drfarin... Logo design by @franhckr.bsky.social

Christmas in the Northern hemisphere means snow and pine trees, here in Canberra we have king parrot baubles for #ChristmasinJuly 🎄

Earlier this season we said goodbye to GBB. Born in 2014, she was one of the oldest and most productive females in our population: 35 nests, 80 eggs, 47 chicks fledged, 35 reached independence, 24 grandkids. This female below has now taken over her territory. Big 🐾 to fill! #SFW_ANU #birds #ecology

Greeted by a stunning sunrise this morning as @franhckr.bsky.social and @sramellini.bsky.social brave the cold at the gardens ❄️ Trying to catch the last few unbanded individuals in our population and helping colleagues with some thornbill research 🐦‍⬛ #SFW_ANU #ecology #ornithology #birds

Just out in Biological Reviews! My new paper highlights intergroup peace in primates: tolerance, affiliation, group mergers etc. We propose a new framework for understanding these interactions, with insights into the roots of human cooperation. 📖 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Happy to share our last work just published in @animalecology.bsky.social. With @claire-doutrelant.bsky.social and Peter Pearman. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @cnrs.fr @biology.ox.ac.uk

One of the (many) aims of our project is to understand what animals do outside the breeding season. In a new editorial in ALULA, @sramellini.bsky.social highlights some examples of how local, field-based research can help bridge this major knowledge gap. Read it here: doi.org/10.60990/alu...

Interested in Postdoc Research here in Oxford? Many projects possible using long-term population studies of birds, field & lab experiments with insect consumers, phenology of trees all in Wytham woods & based in new Biology building marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/calls/msca-p...

#ASSAB2025 finished this afternoon with an announcement that we will meet in Adelaide next year, how exciting! Even more exciting, @sramellini.bsky.social won 'Highly Commended' for his presentation on the multilevel society of superb fairywrens, congrats! 🎉 #SFW_ANU @animbehav.bsky.social

🌟CONGRATULATIONS🌟 to You Zhou of @scienceanu.bsky.social on the publishing of her 2nd #PhD chapter in @asab.org Animal Behaviour. All about temporal #masking in the beautiful superb fairywrens. #noise #fieldwork #playbacks With Rob Magrath. @bristolbiosci.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

Day 2 of the #ASSAB2025 conference has just begun! Don't forget to attend our two talks today for #SFW_ANU project updates: 11:15 @sramellini.bsky.social on the fairywrens' multilevel society 15:45 @franhckr.bsky.social on fairywren foraging behaviour @animbehav.bsky.social

Day 1 of the #ASSAB2025 conference opened with an incredible plenary! Join us tomorrow for #SFW_ANU project updates. At 11:15 @sramellini.bsky.social will talk about their multilevel society, and @franhckr.bsky.social will talk about their foraging behaviour at 15:45! @animbehav.bsky.social

An unfortunate yet fascinating encounter during yesterday's fieldwork: a sparrowhawk catches one of our fairywrens as we're following a group to collect social data 😦🦅 #birds #ecology #predation #ornithology #SFW_ANU @franhckr.bsky.social @sramellini.bsky.social

With the cold weather and brown males the non-breeding season is officially upon us! 🐦 Our fieldwork now focuses on their sociality and foraging 🍿 #ecology #birds #ornithology #SFW_ANU @sramellini.bsky.social @franhckr.bsky.social

When you go to collect data but the data doesn't let you write it down ✍🏻🐦😆 #bird #ecology #ornithology #SFW_ANU @sramellini.bsky.social @franhckr.bsky.social @scienceanu.bsky.social

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone from us here at the #SFW_ANU project, including our birds 🐦 Even though the breeding season is over, it's the perfect day for some allopreening to strengthen our social bonds 😉 #ornithology #birds

Aaaand that's the official end of this year's breeding season! Yesterday, we banded the last chick - that's 68 in total! About to fledge any day now, let's wish him/her well ✨🕊️ #ornithology #ecology #birds @scienceanu.bsky.social @sramellini.bsky.social @franhckr.bsky.social

With the 2024 breeding season coming to an end, we have started to band the few remaining unbanded adults to prepare for the collection of social data this winter. This guy is our first banded adult! 🐦 #ornithology #birds #superbfairywren #SFW_ANU @sramellini.bsky.social @franhckr.bsky.social

Happy New Year! 🎆 We're starting the year off with monitoring cNb, who was born on January 1st 2022. Wishing everyone all the best for 2025, and a happy birthday to cNb 🎂 #birds #ornithology #superbfairywren #SFW_ANU @sramellini.bsky.social @franhckr.bsky.social @damienfarine.bsky.social

Holiday season is upon us, and so is this year's breeding season! With the season still in full swing, we're banding a few times a week. Today, we banded this male's chicks and his helper 🐦 Happy holidays from cOnr! 🎄 @sramellini.bsky.social @franhckr.bsky.social #ornithology #birds #superbfairywren

*Egg-citing news* The Superb Fairy-Wren Project is now on Bluesky! Our 37th breeding season is well underway, with the first fledgies out and the second nests being built. Picture by @franhckr.bsky.social