Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · 1d

Amazing work @rosvall-lab.bsky.social! I'm honored that I got to add 1 tiny data point to your massive effort.

Kim Rosvall @rosvall-lab.bsky.social · 2d

Pumped to share our work on bird behavior and the 2024 Eclipse, in today's @science.org. 100k bird vocalizations + 10k continent-wide observations from the public = really fun collab led by Liz Aguilar, with @juncowren.bsky.social @mathcancer.bsky.social @imillercrews.bsky.social #NSF

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Aug 28

I relocated my office to a spot where I can bird from my desk. Loving it.

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Jul 21

What life history and behavioral traits predict female bird song at a global scale?

Our collaborative paper let by Karan Odom and out today in @natcomms.nature.com helps to answer that question

@josephtobias.bsky.social @sheardcat.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Global incidence of female birdsong is predicted by territoriality and biparental care in songbirds - Nature Communications

Elaborate traits like birdsong are thought to be sexually selected in males but are poorly understood in females. This study shows that year-round territoriality and biparental care are selected for f...

www.nature.com

10 33

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Jul 12

Thanks! They are hilarious and it’s awesome to get people excited about the sounds of female birds 🐦

1

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Jul 9

I got to be part of this hilarious podcast. Bonus: if you listen to the whole episode, you can learn about the #fartwalk before you get to birds 🐦

youtu.be/3onWvZHcvME?...

Fart Walks, Birds, & Squirrels

YouTube video by Holderness Family Laughs

youtu.be

1 2

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Jun 5

Free link! Our article on bird flash plumage signals is now officially out in Ornithology.

Huge thanks (again) to David Allen Sibley for allowing us to use his artwork in it. #ornithology @amornith.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/auk/article/...

Phylogenetic analyses support flush-pursuit foraging and flocking behaviors as evolutionary drivers of flash plumage signals in North American passerines

ABSTRACT. Animal coloration patterns are wildly variable. Despite this, there are plumage traits that occur similarly across taxonomic groups, suggesting t

academic.oup.com

1 14 40

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · May 9

I had the chance to be part of a YouTube podcast series on “Listening.” Thanks to Adam Taub for including me. I’ll be checking back for more episodes on all the ways we listen.

youtu.be/69woD5-bmU0

Bird Expert on Listening to Birds and Ornithology

YouTube video by Story Doc

youtu.be

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Apr 26

Meet one of the newest birds in my life. . . this is Dumpling, posing for her glamour shot.

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Feb 24

Ron Mumme is extensively cited in this one 😀. Flush-pursuit foraging for the win

1

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Feb 24

Have you ever wondered why so may birds have “flash” wing and tail color patches that appear when they fly?

We did too. . . doi.org/10.1093/orni...

Special thanks to David Allen Sibley for letting us use some of his incredible illustrations in Figure 1 #birds #ornithology

Phylogenetic analyses support flush-pursuit foraging and flocking behaviors as evolutionary drivers of flash plumage signals in North American passerines

ABSTRACT. Animal coloration patterns are wildly variable. Despite this, there are plumage traits that occur similarly across taxonomic groups, suggesting t

doi.org

1 1 10

Reposted by Lauryn Benedict

Joanna Wu @joannaxwu.bsky.social · Jan 30

The first paper of your PhD is always so exciting! 🤩 An all-#Galbatross effort, "A focus on females can improve science and conservation!" See press release (www.audubon.org/news/researc...) and the study here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...! #FemaleBirds #FemaleBirdDay

In Research, Ignoring Female Birds Harms Scientific Understanding

A new study shows that ecological research often ignores or excludes data on female birds and behavior, resulting in erroneous assumptions on conservation.

www.audubon.org

5 68 190

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Dec 13

😂 that sounds like a tasty meal

1 1

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Dec 12

Which #Parrots are the best vocal learners? Help us answer that question by sharing info about your talking and singing 🦜 🦜

For this thread, drop a note with something a parrot says . . . I’ll start: “Alexa. . .”

www.manyparrots.org

The Many Parrots Project

The Many Parrots group is a team of scientists studying parrot vocal learning and musicality. We invite the public to contribute to research by filling out surveys about their talking and singing parr...

www.manyparrots.org

2 2 3

Lauryn Benedict @laurynbenedict.bsky.social · Dec 5

Hello BlueSky. I’m new. How is it over here? Nice and birdy? 🦜🐦‍⬛

2 6