Pheasants@Exeter

Studying how natural selection shapes cognitive performance using the genius of the bird world - Pheasants. Tweets by Jo Madden (available on other platforms)

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

2nd report for @NatResWales to inform their consultation about gamebird releasing in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

This 1 ⬇️brings up to date evidence about ecological effects of released gamebirds w/a focus on 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿, looks at new research in the area & describes knowledge gaps

https://t.co/K4m90XNQu4

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

@fbuner Several hundred acres of thatching wheat grown here in mid devon each year. One limiting step is finding enough people to stook it all up. It's fairly arduous, dusty work. And keeping the binder working, that's almost 100 years old.

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

What are the ecological effects of releasing and managing mallard ducks for hunting?

Our new OA paper with @ecoevoenviro https://t.co/4Xc3am3Jgg

What did we find? A short 🧵

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

Mallard release in the UK has been increasing over recent years and now ~1.3-2.6 million are released annually

Problems are likely to be especially acute (and benefits less) on large "driven duck only" days

We call for markedly more research into Mallard release and management

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

What are the ecological effects of releasing and managing mallard ducks for hunting?

Our new OA paper with @ecoevoenviro https://t.co/4Xc3am3Jgg

What did we find? A short 🧵

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

Evidence is currently limited and often weak (especially considering wider ecosystem effects)

Releases and associated management have both positive (e.g. habitat creation, feeding) and negative (e.g. interbreeding, disease, eutrophication) ecological impacts

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

@stuartpengs Yup. That's the kind of thing😱

(And definitely those memes weren't based on yesterday's outing🙄😬)

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

@stuartpengs "I want us all to move slowly and quietly through this bit. Tap gently and take a few steps, then stop. There's lot of birds in here...."

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

@stuartpengs Emerging, scarred, from the bramble thickets. Just one field of ankle high beet separates the beaters from their port and sausages on the very last drive of the day. And it's chucking rain.

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

@fieldsportstv Sounds interesting. Any details or links?

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

@andychadwick63 @ecoevoenviro @MathewBEllis @JNCC_UK Thanks for reading it in detail. If you'd like to chat it through over a beer, I'm in Exeter🍻

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

@andychadwick63 @ecoevoenviro @MathewBEllis @JNCC_UK Populations can change fairly rapidly, perhaps due to causes beyond the UK, so a regular and reliable data updating is essential to maintain sustainable harvest. In the case of many of these birds, this is a legal obligation under AEWA, hence the study to evaluate this.

[Prof Tom Cameron @ecoevoenviro]

Led by @pec_exeter with @MathewBEllis and myself - new #evidence review for @JNCC_UK of availability of #data and reliability of #models to asses #sustainability of #waterbird harvest by recreational #hunting in the United Kingdom #policy #wildlife #people

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

How robust is current hunting bag data, and can we rely on it to manage sustainable harvest of UK waterbirds?

For most species, it's pretty good, but released mallard🦆🦆can confuse the picture

Recent collaboration with @ecoevoenviro and Matt Ellis of @BASCnews

[JNCC @JNCC_UK]

New report published today reviews whether current data collection on hunting bags can reliably determine whether shooting of legally-huntable waterbird species is sustainable in the UK https://t.co/z8z7AxALvW

This evidence will support the UK's obligation towards @unep_aewa

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

@ecoevoenviro To add context: the density of released pheasants in the general countryside (i.e not where they are released) in summer is ~<20 birds/km2 and concerns are (rightly) raised about the potential negative ecological effects that such densities might exert https://t.co/Eq4Ahp4wLk

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

It forms part of an exciting Special Issue of Phil Trans, "Selection shapes diverse animal minds", edited by Elli Leadbeater & Alex Thornton (on BSky)

Co-authors include the ecobird team (on BSky) and @Samellisq

https://t.co/5P2PJC9ONW

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

NEW PAPER🎺
How does cognition determine individual fitness? A systematic review of the links between cognition, behaviour & fitness in non-human animals

Lots of studies try to explain how cognition might evolve, taking a behavioural ecology approach
Has this made progress?🧵

[Pheasants@Exeter @pec_exeter]

The paper is Open Access

https://t.co/m7t2MEedVV