Will Smith
@willjsmith.bsky.social
Evolution at the wild-domestic interface ⛰️🏙️
I study Rock Doves in the Outer Hebrides.
@uniofnottingham.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UW64SScAAAAJ&hl
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/William-Smith-134
I study Rock Doves in the Outer Hebrides.
@uniofnottingham.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UW64SScAAAAJ&hl
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/William-Smith-134
Pinned
Will Smith
@willjsmith.bsky.social
· Mar 10
Studies of domestic pigeons have taught us lots about cognition, navigation, and genetics. If you’d like to learn why their wild cousins are also worthy of scientific attention, I’ve written a Rock Dove @currentbiology.bsky.social ‘quick guide’: doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.065
Reposted by Will Smith
New paper published! 🧬🐥🦠
Host WGS data can be repurposed to uncover endoparasite diversity at low cost, without destructive sampling, and outperform 18S metabarcoding. We test it in silvereyes.
This work was led by PhD student Sarah Nichols @biology.ox.ac.uk
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Host WGS data can be repurposed to uncover endoparasite diversity at low cost, without destructive sampling, and outperform 18S metabarcoding. We test it in silvereyes.
This work was led by PhD student Sarah Nichols @biology.ox.ac.uk
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Host whole genome sequence data represent an untapped resource for characterising affiliated parasite diversity
Parasites are ubiquitous and exert varied ecological and evolutionary pressures on their hosts. Yet, characterising parasite diversity and distributio…
www.sciencedirect.com
January 8, 2026 at 2:05 PM
New paper published! 🧬🐥🦠
Host WGS data can be repurposed to uncover endoparasite diversity at low cost, without destructive sampling, and outperform 18S metabarcoding. We test it in silvereyes.
This work was led by PhD student Sarah Nichols @biology.ox.ac.uk
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Host WGS data can be repurposed to uncover endoparasite diversity at low cost, without destructive sampling, and outperform 18S metabarcoding. We test it in silvereyes.
This work was led by PhD student Sarah Nichols @biology.ox.ac.uk
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Will Smith
The wild rock dove is little understood and largely overlooked by scientists.
What I’ve learned from studying the wild pigeon
The wild rock dove is little understood and largely overlooked by scientists.
tcnv.link
January 8, 2026 at 7:12 AM
The wild rock dove is little understood and largely overlooked by scientists.
Here is a new year read for pigeon lovers! 🕊️🧬
I've written a little piece @theconversation.com about our work in Scotland studying wild Rock Doves: theconversation.com/what-ive-lea...
I've written a little piece @theconversation.com about our work in Scotland studying wild Rock Doves: theconversation.com/what-ive-lea...
What I’ve learned from studying the wild pigeon
The wild rock dove is little understood and largely overlooked by scientists.
theconversation.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Here is a new year read for pigeon lovers! 🕊️🧬
I've written a little piece @theconversation.com about our work in Scotland studying wild Rock Doves: theconversation.com/what-ive-lea...
I've written a little piece @theconversation.com about our work in Scotland studying wild Rock Doves: theconversation.com/what-ive-lea...
Reposted by Will Smith
Managed to sneak in one paper before the New Year with coauthors @flyliceresearch.bsky.social and Daniel Gustafsson (not on Bsky)!
Introducing 2 new species of bird-infesting lice that, despite having no wings, appear to be adept at jumping across bird hosts and continents!
doi.org/10.1111/mve....
Introducing 2 new species of bird-infesting lice that, despite having no wings, appear to be adept at jumping across bird hosts and continents!
doi.org/10.1111/mve....
January 1, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Managed to sneak in one paper before the New Year with coauthors @flyliceresearch.bsky.social and Daniel Gustafsson (not on Bsky)!
Introducing 2 new species of bird-infesting lice that, despite having no wings, appear to be adept at jumping across bird hosts and continents!
doi.org/10.1111/mve....
Introducing 2 new species of bird-infesting lice that, despite having no wings, appear to be adept at jumping across bird hosts and continents!
doi.org/10.1111/mve....
Reposted by Will Smith
377 #pigeons sampled later, I’m happy to share that the first paper from my PhD is published in One Health Journal
It’s about monitoring #disease in the #urban #landscape and why a one number city-level #prevalence report can be misleading
You can read the full PDF here: doi.org/10.1016/j.on...
It’s about monitoring #disease in the #urban #landscape and why a one number city-level #prevalence report can be misleading
You can read the full PDF here: doi.org/10.1016/j.on...
December 13, 2025 at 12:41 PM
377 #pigeons sampled later, I’m happy to share that the first paper from my PhD is published in One Health Journal
It’s about monitoring #disease in the #urban #landscape and why a one number city-level #prevalence report can be misleading
You can read the full PDF here: doi.org/10.1016/j.on...
It’s about monitoring #disease in the #urban #landscape and why a one number city-level #prevalence report can be misleading
You can read the full PDF here: doi.org/10.1016/j.on...
Interesting new paper, reviewing past work on Rock Dove navigation: doi.org/10.4081/rio.....
We published a small GPS-tagging project (using Scottish doves) earlier this year, as a bit of a pilot study (doi.org/10.1093/orni...). There is loads more to learn about these birds! 🕊️🔭
We published a small GPS-tagging project (using Scottish doves) earlier this year, as a bit of a pilot study (doi.org/10.1093/orni...). There is loads more to learn about these birds! 🕊️🔭
On the orientation and homing abilities of wild Rock Doves (Columba livia livia Gmelin): a review
| Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia
The scientific journal Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia - Research in Ornithology (RIO) publishes original articles and short notes covering all major topics of ornithology twice yearly.
doi.org
December 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Interesting new paper, reviewing past work on Rock Dove navigation: doi.org/10.4081/rio.....
We published a small GPS-tagging project (using Scottish doves) earlier this year, as a bit of a pilot study (doi.org/10.1093/orni...). There is loads more to learn about these birds! 🕊️🔭
We published a small GPS-tagging project (using Scottish doves) earlier this year, as a bit of a pilot study (doi.org/10.1093/orni...). There is loads more to learn about these birds! 🕊️🔭
Reposted by Will Smith
The first drone census of the St Kilda gannet colony is now published in Scottish Birds!
We counted 59,205 AOS in 2023 - similar to previous years. The overall impact of #HPAI appears less than at some other colonies, with notable declines in flatter areas 🧮
#ornithology #seabirds #NTSseabirds
We counted 59,205 AOS in 2023 - similar to previous years. The overall impact of #HPAI appears less than at some other colonies, with notable declines in flatter areas 🧮
#ornithology #seabirds #NTSseabirds
(PDF) The first drone census of the Gannet colony on St Kilda, 2023
PDF | An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (hereafter drone) survey of Gannets at St Kilda was carried out in June 2023. The survey was the first census at St... | Find, read and cite all the research you need ...
www.researchgate.net
December 10, 2025 at 11:54 AM
The first drone census of the St Kilda gannet colony is now published in Scottish Birds!
We counted 59,205 AOS in 2023 - similar to previous years. The overall impact of #HPAI appears less than at some other colonies, with notable declines in flatter areas 🧮
#ornithology #seabirds #NTSseabirds
We counted 59,205 AOS in 2023 - similar to previous years. The overall impact of #HPAI appears less than at some other colonies, with notable declines in flatter areas 🧮
#ornithology #seabirds #NTSseabirds
Reposted by Will Smith
As I'm planning next years field season, I wonder if anyone on here would like to run a small island project on Skúvoy with me. I will be catching and samling great skuas, but there will be good opportunities to investigate other aspects of seabird island ecology 🌍🧪 #seabirds
November 26, 2025 at 10:55 PM
As I'm planning next years field season, I wonder if anyone on here would like to run a small island project on Skúvoy with me. I will be catching and samling great skuas, but there will be good opportunities to investigate other aspects of seabird island ecology 🌍🧪 #seabirds
Reposted by Will Smith
New issue of #BirdStudy
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
November 25, 2025 at 4:26 PM
New issue of #BirdStudy
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
Reposted by Will Smith
Our new paper is out today in Journal of the Royal Society Interface (link below). All about eggshell roughness: "Scratching beyond the surface: examining macroecological patterns in avian eggshell texture". Congrats first author Marie Attard, and thank you @leverhulme.ac.uk for the funding.
November 26, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Our new paper is out today in Journal of the Royal Society Interface (link below). All about eggshell roughness: "Scratching beyond the surface: examining macroecological patterns in avian eggshell texture". Congrats first author Marie Attard, and thank you @leverhulme.ac.uk for the funding.
Reposted by Will Smith
Contributed to #theBOUblog to share my experiences at the #EOU2025 in Wales this summer!
NEW on #theBOUblog from Malin Klumpp
At EOU2025: Using genomics to study how birds are moving and redistributing behavioural traits across geographic space
bou.org.uk/blog-klum...
#ornithology 🪶
At EOU2025: Using genomics to study how birds are moving and redistributing behavioural traits across geographic space
bou.org.uk/blog-klum...
#ornithology 🪶
November 24, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Contributed to #theBOUblog to share my experiences at the #EOU2025 in Wales this summer!
Third and final Uist trip finished! That's 481 individual Rock Doves ringed/recaptured/resighted during 2025, providing great data to help us understand this population. It's been nice to also get the opportunity to update the community on our project progress. @jezierskimt.bsky.social
November 21, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Third and final Uist trip finished! That's 481 individual Rock Doves ringed/recaptured/resighted during 2025, providing great data to help us understand this population. It's been nice to also get the opportunity to update the community on our project progress. @jezierskimt.bsky.social
Reposted by Will Smith
Big congratulations @rsmehlhausenfranks.bsky.social on passing your viva today with minor corrections. It’s been a pleasure supervising you. Thank you to the examiners @rjpheathcote.bsky.social and @markjfbrown.bsky.social! And thank you Paul Devlin and @evolecollab.bsky.social for your help too!
November 19, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Big congratulations @rsmehlhausenfranks.bsky.social on passing your viva today with minor corrections. It’s been a pleasure supervising you. Thank you to the examiners @rjpheathcote.bsky.social and @markjfbrown.bsky.social! And thank you Paul Devlin and @evolecollab.bsky.social for your help too!
We've been catching lots of Rock Doves in Uist 🏴 this week. @jezierskimt.bsky.social and I are here for our ongoing monitoring work. Hoping for lots of reports of colour-ringed birds to generate survival + movement data 🤓 🤞@uniofnottingham.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk
November 17, 2025 at 10:28 AM
We've been catching lots of Rock Doves in Uist 🏴 this week. @jezierskimt.bsky.social and I are here for our ongoing monitoring work. Hoping for lots of reports of colour-ringed birds to generate survival + movement data 🤓 🤞@uniofnottingham.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk
Reposted by Will Smith
Problems and progress in getting molluscan 🐌 genome assemblies, new paper out. Although the publication was much delayed, we recently redid the analysis, finding that actually not much ahs improved 😔 academic.oup.com/mollus/artic...
🧬 & 🖥️ #genomics #snails #molluscs
🧬 & 🖥️ #genomics #snails #molluscs
Molluscan genome assemblies—problems and progress
A reference genome assembly is a starting point for research (Davison & Neiman, 2021) in a wide variety of subdisciplines of biology, including mollusc
academic.oup.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Problems and progress in getting molluscan 🐌 genome assemblies, new paper out. Although the publication was much delayed, we recently redid the analysis, finding that actually not much ahs improved 😔 academic.oup.com/mollus/artic...
🧬 & 🖥️ #genomics #snails #molluscs
🧬 & 🖥️ #genomics #snails #molluscs
Reposted by Will Smith
We are still interested in any found twite feathers for a study on the relationships and genetic diversity between the British groups - particularly now for birds of Scottish origin in the NE of England or, birds on the Avon.
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
October 28, 2025 at 7:20 AM
We are still interested in any found twite feathers for a study on the relationships and genetic diversity between the British groups - particularly now for birds of Scottish origin in the NE of England or, birds on the Avon.
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
Reposted by Will Smith
More Mapping the UK's Flat Flies Project results published today with Adrian Smith & @sheldonbirds.bsky.social 212 host-parasite interactions, including 70 not previously reported, & a recent switch to gulls by some Louse Flies, Hippoboscidae. @btobirds.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
Citizen science reveals host‐switching in louse flies and keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) during a period of anthropogenic change
A study of louse flies in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man, and Ireland found 212 different interactions between Hippoboscidae and their hosts, of which 70 were previously unrecorded. No louse flies ...
doi.org
November 1, 2025 at 2:42 PM
More Mapping the UK's Flat Flies Project results published today with Adrian Smith & @sheldonbirds.bsky.social 212 host-parasite interactions, including 70 not previously reported, & a recent switch to gulls by some Louse Flies, Hippoboscidae. @btobirds.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
Reposted by Will Smith
New paper today in Proc B @royalsociety.org. We explored nest architecture in 3,685 species of birds, modelling the multivariate nature of nests, i.e. how shape, location or attachment co-occur. Then we explored how the environment affected nest architecture evolution. Spoilers in the title! 🪺🐦🌍
A wide range of abiotic and biotic variables leaves most variation in bird nest architecture unexplained | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Nests are the locations or containers for offspring, and mediate interactions between
offspring and the environment. However, understanding how environmental factors shape
the evolution of nest archit...
royalsocietypublishing.org
October 29, 2025 at 10:53 AM
New paper today in Proc B @royalsociety.org. We explored nest architecture in 3,685 species of birds, modelling the multivariate nature of nests, i.e. how shape, location or attachment co-occur. Then we explored how the environment affected nest architecture evolution. Spoilers in the title! 🪺🐦🌍
Reposted by Will Smith
Interested in island life and arthropods? There's a new PhD project advertised at the University of Birmingham to study the evolution of 'island syndromes' in a chosen group of island arthropods, with both museum and fieldwork-based research are expected. More details at: centa.ac.uk/studentship/...
2026-B22 The island syndrome in arthropods – CENTA
centa.ac.uk
October 24, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Interested in island life and arthropods? There's a new PhD project advertised at the University of Birmingham to study the evolution of 'island syndromes' in a chosen group of island arthropods, with both museum and fieldwork-based research are expected. More details at: centa.ac.uk/studentship/...
Reposted by Will Smith
New paper out today on hippocampus neuron morphology in homing and feral pigeons. 🧵
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#neuroskyence #neuroethology #anatomy
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#neuroskyence #neuroethology #anatomy
Homing and feral pigeons differ in hippocampal formation neuron size: a Golgi study - Brain Structure and Function
Artificial selection for behavioural traits can significantly affect the anatomy of brain regions related to the behaviour under selection. The homing pigeon (Columba livia) is a prime example of how ...
link.springer.com
October 23, 2025 at 5:27 PM
New paper out today on hippocampus neuron morphology in homing and feral pigeons. 🧵
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#neuroskyence #neuroethology #anatomy
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#neuroskyence #neuroethology #anatomy
Reposted by Will Smith
Do you like islands? And/or arthropods? Please get in touch with me (m.t.jezierski[at]bham.ac.uk) or another member of the supervisory team!
We will help you study island evolution in arthropods with a (funded) PhD @unibirmingham.bsky.social. 🪲🏝️🦋
centa.ac.uk/studentship/...
*Please share this!*
We will help you study island evolution in arthropods with a (funded) PhD @unibirmingham.bsky.social. 🪲🏝️🦋
centa.ac.uk/studentship/...
*Please share this!*
2026-B22 The island syndrome in arthropods – CENTA
centa.ac.uk
October 21, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Do you like islands? And/or arthropods? Please get in touch with me (m.t.jezierski[at]bham.ac.uk) or another member of the supervisory team!
We will help you study island evolution in arthropods with a (funded) PhD @unibirmingham.bsky.social. 🪲🏝️🦋
centa.ac.uk/studentship/...
*Please share this!*
We will help you study island evolution in arthropods with a (funded) PhD @unibirmingham.bsky.social. 🪲🏝️🦋
centa.ac.uk/studentship/...
*Please share this!*
Reposted by Will Smith
Interested in a PhD in ornithology? Funding available for projects at the interface of ecology, behaviour & evolution from Oct '26 working on long-term population studies of tits at Wytham, based in @biology.ox.ac.uk in the new Life & Mind Building in Oxford
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
October 20, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Interested in a PhD in ornithology? Funding available for projects at the interface of ecology, behaviour & evolution from Oct '26 working on long-term population studies of tits at Wytham, based in @biology.ox.ac.uk in the new Life & Mind Building in Oxford
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Will Smith
End of 24th yr of intensive Marsh Tit monitoring at Monks Wood. Similar juv recruitment to recent years (<30), half the number when project started. Some deaths of long-lived adults (5-7 yrs old), but our oldest bird survives (10.5 yrs). Crossbills, Siskins, Redpolls, Skylarks overhead. #ornithology
October 19, 2025 at 3:51 PM
End of 24th yr of intensive Marsh Tit monitoring at Monks Wood. Similar juv recruitment to recent years (<30), half the number when project started. Some deaths of long-lived adults (5-7 yrs old), but our oldest bird survives (10.5 yrs). Crossbills, Siskins, Redpolls, Skylarks overhead. #ornithology
Reposted by Will Smith
Beginner's luck is a thing, and with a balmy autumn night I was quite excited for my 9th ever moth-trapping night. But Clifden Nonpareil was not on the bingo card! Also, Least Carpet, Pink-barred Sallow and Rosy Rustic. #TeamMoth #leptember #Moths @willjsmith.bsky.social
September 30, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Beginner's luck is a thing, and with a balmy autumn night I was quite excited for my 9th ever moth-trapping night. But Clifden Nonpareil was not on the bingo card! Also, Least Carpet, Pink-barred Sallow and Rosy Rustic. #TeamMoth #leptember #Moths @willjsmith.bsky.social
A very kind interpretation of a baby pigeon! Here are some wild Rock Dove chicks, who may not be winning beauty contests... 🫠
(nests visited for ongoing @uniofnottingham.bsky.social research in the Outer Hebrides, and for @btobirds.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social #NestRecordScheme)
(nests visited for ongoing @uniofnottingham.bsky.social research in the Outer Hebrides, and for @btobirds.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social #NestRecordScheme)
September 28, 2025 at 11:06 AM
A very kind interpretation of a baby pigeon! Here are some wild Rock Dove chicks, who may not be winning beauty contests... 🫠
(nests visited for ongoing @uniofnottingham.bsky.social research in the Outer Hebrides, and for @btobirds.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social #NestRecordScheme)
(nests visited for ongoing @uniofnottingham.bsky.social research in the Outer Hebrides, and for @btobirds.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social #NestRecordScheme)