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/3mrvzksh4dk2rThe latest pied babbler paper, headed by the amazing Shannon Conradie, looks at how the accuracy of biophysical models, increasingly used to predict climate change response, can be improved with even a modest amount of behavioural observations https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.7041231 Jul 2026 03:35 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrvzksh4dk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3moipj5n6kk2eThanks @cedricboeckx.bsky.social ! @stephaniellaura.bsky.social did an amazing job with a complex dataset! [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Jun 2026 16:15 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3moipj5n6kk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3mnh2nphq3s22Congrats to Ed for completing the final part of his excellent PhD: his exit seminar! Well done Ed for all your hard work and achievements over the last four years of research! 🥳🎉🎓 [contains quote post or other embedded content]04 Jun 2026 07:04 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnh2nphq3s22https://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3mmr7segfbk2dCongrats to @gblackburn.bsky.social for this study showing that’s it’s not just anthropogenic noise, but the level (amplitude) of anthropogenic noise that is important, in terms of impact on behaviour. [contains quote post or other embedded content]26 May 2026 14:37 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmr7segfbk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3mm4m2zgaoc2zCongrats to Ed Galluccio on the first paper from his PhD, showing that associative learning score is related to the antipredator response and associative learning score declines under heat stress. However, heat stress does not impact the cognition-antipredator relationship. [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 May 2026 09:51 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm4m2zgaoc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/mandyridley.bsky.social/post/3mlaftogh4s2pCongrats to @alexalaman.bsky.social for leading this paper using 38 years of data to investigate climate impacts on survival & reprod success of Arabian babblers in natural vs modified habitat. We found modified habitats buffered climate impacts: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.7031407 May 2026 04:45 +0000at://did:plc:y2o7vt25rwwayiybenidwlrr/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlaftogh4s2phttps://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/3lq4hkyshsc2w