Behavioural Ecologist with a special focus on cooperation, cognition, vocal communication, and behavioural responses to climate change Webpage: www.babbler-research.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3mgrnfriku22mCongrats to @stephaniellaura.bsky.social, who headed our latest research showing that social interactions have a major influence on the development of the complex call sequences that young magpies learn! As well as the below paper link, here is the media release: https://www.uwa.edu.au/news/article/2026/march/young-magpies-learn-complex-sentences-just-like-humans [contains quote post or other embedded content]11 Mar 2026 10:10 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgrnfriku22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3mf4n3hfev227Our review of the impact of multiple anthropogenic stressors on avian behaviour and cognition was the most downloaded paper in the Journal of Avian Biology 2025! @camillasoravia.bsky.social @gblackburn.bsky.social [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Feb 2026 08:13 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf4n3hfev227https://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3ma3y5gxpp22eSo happy to see this come to print after life took over & there was a delay btw data collection and writing up! We conduct an experimental test of central place foraging theory & ask how provisioning/distance trade-offs might differ in a cooperative breeder. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.7269716 Dec 2025 10:52 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma3y5gxpp22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3m5llpfpixc2vAn important ontogenetic perspective into the relationship between cognition and social interactions! Congrats @lizziespeechley.bsky.social! With collaborators @stephanielking.bsky.social @ceb-uwa.bsky.social Ben Ashton, Alex Thornton and Leigh Simmons [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Nov 2025 11:37 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5llpfpixc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3m5llhw5ocs2vNew paper alert! By tracking fledglings through development we found evidence that cognitive development is related to social interactions: this extends our research on adult magpie cognition. See below for an overview of all papers from @lizziespeechley.bsky.social’s excellent research thesis 👇🏻👇🏻 [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Nov 2025 11:32 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5llhw5ocs2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3m3ak4zm3os2eNew paper out in PLoS Biology! A large international collaboration from the ManyBirds project, looking at variation in neophobia across a wide range of avian species globally. Delighted that the magpies were part of this large and diverse dataset! [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Oct 2025 15:19 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3ak4zm3os2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3m2oeu7f75s2vOur new paper is out! @camillasoravia.bsky.social leads this research, which looks into the relationship between heat- mediated cognitive impairment and the antipredator response in wild pied babblers. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.251260#pane-pcw-references08 Oct 2025 09:56 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2oeu7f75s2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3m23vnxxzus2zCongrats to @avantikadeep.bsky.social on presenting her research plans for studying the causes and consequences of intrasexual selection in magpies at #AES2025! [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Oct 2025 01:37 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3m23vnxxzus2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3m23uppav7s2zCongrats to Kim @brainiants.bsky.social on her talk at #AES2025! Kim’s research into inbreeding in European royals looked at the effect on reproductive success, offspring survival and fertility. Manuscript to be submitted soon: watch this space! [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Oct 2025 01:20 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3m23uppav7s2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lzl53ptpas26@dutourmylene.bsky.social ‘s talk was wonderful, so great to see her back in Perth again! [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Sep 2025 09:34 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzl53ptpas26https://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lzl4mnrlj226Congrats to @avantikadeep.bsky.social for presenting her PhD research plans on intrasexual competition in group-living magpies! [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Sep 2025 09:26 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzl4mnrlj226https://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lzl4jeqdws26Congrats to Lakshani for presenting her research plan on coalitions in toque macaques for her PhD! [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Sep 2025 09:24 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzl4jeqdws26https://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lzl4h2vlk226Congrats to @stephaniellaura.bsky.social for winning an award for her excellent poster on her PhD research! [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Sep 2025 09:23 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzl4h2vlk226https://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lzfecmmc3k2bSuper proud of PhD student @stephaniellaura.bsky.social at her exit seminar: she took us through a comprehensive journey of investigation and unveiled some truly fascinating results, only achievable through her exceptional hard work and attention to detail. Congrats Steph! [contains quote post or other embedded content]22 Sep 2025 02:27 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzfecmmc3k2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lydaekfldk2rCongrats @stephaniellaura.bsky.social for doing amazing PhD research on the ontogeny of magpie communication! [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 Sep 2025 12:46 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lydaekfldk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lwvob3g5ac2kOur new cognition paper is out, headed by @gblackburn.bsky.social, and one of the last chapters from her exceptional PhD thesis! [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Aug 2025 09:53 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwvob3g5ac2khttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lr5auu2wic2jOur 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 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ibi.1342109 Jun 2025 01:43 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lr5auu2wic2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lq4hkyshsc2wOur new paper, led by Masters student Holly, finds that magpies are capable of quantity discrimination, and this ability is affected by group size. [contains quote post or other embedded content]27 May 2025 00:45 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lq4hkyshsc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lm4ikajfuc2rhttps://x.com/nicholaswunz/status/1908367704396095706?s=1206 Apr 2025 03:22 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lm4ikajfuc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lj7n2x3hds2s@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. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-024-02222-928 Feb 2025 05:05 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lj7n2x3hds2shttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3lio3c5zuls2xGorgeous night skies to accompany us last night on a woylie capture-tag-release trip. Wonderful to see so many woylies hopping out in the predator-proofed reserve so close to Perth!21 Feb 2025 05:32 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3lio3c5zuls2x