@willjsmith
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
Screenshot of the EGI seminars You-tube Channel
We've uploaded recordings of many of our seminars over the last few months to our You-tube channel, including from @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social, Kristen Ruegg, Daniel Field, @jon-slate.bsky.social, Paul Acker, @thelabandfield.bsky.social & @kokkonut.bsky.social - Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/@EGIOxford
we call it 'ice cream grip' 🍦!
vs wild Rock Doves from our study population in Uist, Outer Hebrides - with 'blue' colour, 'bar' pattern, 'white' rump, and 'wildtype' eye. In most feral populations, only a minority of individuals have this combination of phenotypes. @jezierskimt.bsky.social @uniofnottingham.bsky.social
thanks.... if you ever come across a photo so I have a search image of a scruffy brown feral... all i can find is snazzy looking fancy pigeons!
Fascinating, amazing bird! Nice to see the diver too eh...
Nice :) there's some eye phenotype variation in these photos too! One colour thing I have been wondering is that I don't think I've had a 'brown' feral pigeon yet (i.e. recessive to ash-red and blue...). Only in captive domestic breeds. Have you seen many 'brown' ferals?
Love seeing feral pigeon variation...surely the most extensive of any wild bird! How amazing that they thrive in the concrete jungle. Here are some examples from across the UK, being studied for projects supported by @gensocuk.bsky.social @leverhulme.ac.uk @britishecologicalsociety.org
When your proposed source of birds comes from a different subspecies from Scandinavia, an area even cooler than the region where you want to release is and warming climate is likely to be the major extinction driver, genetics matters very bugger much actually.
cool, thanks! all v interesting (even if it matters 'not a bugger at all' 😅)
Are these genetic results (re captive birds being closer to Scandinavian etc) published anywhere yet please?
📢 New 🐂🧬 paper!
Population structure and domestication history of the Javan banteng
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
We discuss soft domestication, post-divergence gene flow, and contrasting genetic load, highlighting the dual conservation and agricultural relevance of the banteng.
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!
Why did Darwin compare pigeons and horses in the Origin of Species?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/02/11/w...
A special blog post to celebrate Darwin Day! 😉🧬
#ornithology
Award issue cover with an illustration by Bertille Mohring of a pair of female Laysan albatrosses.
🚨 Now out: Award Issue, collecting all seven mini-reviews included in the 2025 Review Competition written by early career researchers. Highlighting emerging or less explored topics in avian biology
➡️ vist.ly/4pzxr
Cover: pair of female Laysan albatrosses by Bertille Mohring
#ornithology
Thrilled to share my very first paper with you, now out in @avianbiology.bsky.social!
We investigated whether innate immune function varies during moult in adult & juvenile blackbirds (undergoing complete or partial moult).
Still time to apply for our spring field assistant roles on the Wytham tit project. Deadline this Sunday. Wonderful work in a wonderful setting (but I'm biased). egioxford.web.ox.ac.uk/event/short-...
Norwich Market pigeons continue to be controversial 🐦
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Wise words.
yes, one of the most predatory 🫠
New story on the Avian Hybrids blog!
What will happen to the hybrid zone between Hooded and Carrion Crow?
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/01/28/w...
Based on a nice simulation study by Dirk Metzler and his colleagues | #ornithology
yeh it's a woodpigeon, not feral
Mostly wild-looking.
Forehead shape is a bit flatter than you'd expect in a 'pure' Rock Dove, and cere a bit larger, but I would not call it a feral pigeon if it's 90% wild/10% feral (which is what these probably are, roughly: we included DNA from some Caithness birds in our 2022 study).
😍
We are seeking to appoint four full-time field assistants to work on the Wytham Tit Project for 4-8 weeks in spring 2026. Two 8-week field assistants will join the nest monitoring team; duties for these posts will include (i) collecting standardised data from nest-box breeding populations of blue and great tits, (ii) catching and ringing parent birds, (iii) ringing nestlings, and (iv) inputting data collected in the field. These positions with run from approximately Tuesday 7th April to Monday 1st June. Successful candidates for these positions must have (or be qualified to obtain) a BTO permit to ring adult great tits and blue tits. A further two field assistants will be hired to support a project collecting behavioural (foraging) data for great tits breeding in the Wytham population. These roles will involve a significant amount of nightwork. Duties will include (i) setting up and calibrating electronic tracking equipment and nest box cameras in the field, (ii) mapping tracking equipment locations using GPS, (iii) helping with catching and ringing parent birds and fitting tracking devices, (iv) assisting with mistnetting to re-trap tagged parents, and (v) inputting data collected in the field. These positions with be approximately 7 and 4 weeks in duration, starting from 13th April and 4th May, respectively. Possession of a BTO ringing permit with misnet endorsement and driving license are highly desirable for these roles. All fieldwork will take place in Wytham Woods, near Oxford. All Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate skill and enthusiasm for biological research as well as experience of fieldwork under arduous conditions, and both lone work and working as part of a team. Due to the short-term nature of these posts, successsful applicants must already have the right to work in the UK. Salary & Accommodation: Field assistants will be paid at grade 5.2 (£17.37/hour). Contact eleanor.cole@Biology.ox.ac.uk
We are hiring at the Wytham Woods for the upcoming field season. 4 roles available. Please share with anyone who might be interested. #UKbirds #birdringing
congrats! 🥳
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...
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...
Guimaraesiella (Guimaraesiella) impiger sp. nov.
Guimaraesiella (Guimaraesiella) stellana sp. nov.
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....
congratulations! i am excited to read it :)
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...