Oct 2013: Tim Birkhead, barn swallows, and coal tits who hide seeds
In October's BEEPcast Tim Birkhead tells me what ignited his interest in ornithology and sexual selection. I explore why male barn swallows don't act their age when courting females. In the third of my interviews from the Behavior 2013 conference, I speak to Tom Smulders of Newcastle University who explains what Coal tits do with unpalatable seeds.
Download the MP3
Barn swallows coutesy of Jim Benson http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_benson/
Quicklinks:
Tom Smulder's webpage
Masaru Hasegawa's paper
Tim Birkhead's webpage
Download the MP3
Quicklinks:
Tom Smulder's webpage
Masaru Hasegawa's paper
Tim Birkhead's webpage
Sept 2013: Amy Cuddy and power posing, honeyguides, and bower bird cognition
Amy Cuddy joins me in this month's Beepcast, telling me what ignited her interest in how people judge and influence each other. I explore the darker side of bird behaviour, looking at the sneaky tactics African honeyguides use to trick other birds into raising their young. In the second of my interviews from the
Behavior 2013 conference, I speak to Jess Isden of Exeter University who
explains what female bowerbirds look for in a male’s fancy display.
Download the MP3
Eggs used by Claire Spottiswoode. Host = little bee-eater eggs. Control = little bee-eater egg from a different nest. Honeyguide = honeyguide egg. Experimental= egg from a completely different bird, like a dove. Image: Claire Spottiswoode
Quicklinks:
Claire Spottiswoode's paper
Jes Isden's paper
Amy Cuddy's TED talk
Aug 2013: Louise Barrett, peacock eye tracking, and caterpillar eyespots
In the first episode I dig into peahen perception to find out what they look for in their ideal mate. I'll also present the first of a series of interviews from the Behaviour 2013 conference. I speak to Tom Hossie from Carleton University, Canada. Plus in the Scientific Spark I ask Louise Barrett, from the University of Lethbridge in Canada, what sparked her scientific career.
Peahen wearing eye-tracking equipment in Yorzinski et al's study.
Quicklinks:
Yorzisnki's paper
Caterpillar Eyespots: Tom Hossie's blog
More info on Louise Barrett
