Behavioural Ecology Group
The Behavioural Ecology Group (BHE) studies the causes and consequences of animal behaviour with a focus on social contexts. We provide education in Behavioural Ecology and Applied Animal Behaviour.
Our research focuses on:
• Behavioural Ecology
• Applied Animal Behaviour
• Behaviour of Companion Animals
Head of BHE Group
MSc projects
Do you want to do your thesis at our Behavioural ecology group?
We offer a variety of research topics ranging from sexual selection to animal welfare on both wild and domestic animals.
We also encourage students to bring their own ideas for thesis topics. For more information please contact marc.naguib-at-wur.nl
Courses
Education by the Behaviour Ecology Group covers the whole field of animal behaviour, including basic behavioural mechanisms, behavioural ecology, applied animal behaviour and life history decisions. Our courses are directed at both Biology and Animal Science students.
Research
The main expertise and research focus of the BHE group is on social behaviour, involving a range of projects that specifically address the causes as well the consequences of key aspects of social behaviour.
Latest News
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Male dogs often neutered without advice from behavioural experts
- Male dogs are more frequently neutered than females to influence their behaviour. However, some dogs exhibit undesired behaviour such as aggression,... -
Dawn song of the male great tit attracts other males rather than females
- Female great tits (Parus major) stay clear of territories with better singing males while competing males are attracted to the territories with better... -
Which benefits come with caring for a cat or dog?
- Wageningen University & Research is contributing to international research with the objective of revealing underlying factors that contribute to... -
#1 On my way to Brazil
- By: Melindy Dirks · 17 January 2019 Category: Master thesis Melindy Dirks After months of preparation, the adventure will finally start today!... -
INREF grants funding for project “Beyond Anthropocene Pressures: convivialconservation integrating ECOlogy and ECOnomics along the Nile and its wetlands(Eco2)”.
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Zebra finches tweet when it’s hot, but not to warn their offspring
- Zebra finches produce calls under high temperatures. Research by Macquarie University and Wageningen University & Research has shown that this is...
Latest publications
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Effects of reward magnitude and training frequency on the learning rates and memory retention of the Port Jackson shark Heterodontus portusjacksoni
Animal Cognition (2020). - ISSN 1435-9448 -
Body mass variation is negatively associated with brain size: Evidence for the fat-brain trade-off in anurans
Evolution (2020). - ISSN 0014-3820 -
Season-specific carryover of early life associations in a monogamous bird species
Animal Behaviour 164 (2020). - ISSN 0003-3472 - p. 25 - 37. -
Early-life microbiota transplantation affects behavioural responses, serotonin and immune characteristics in chicken lines divergently selected on feather pecking
Scientific Reports 10 (2020). - ISSN 2045-2322 - 13 p. -
Experimental translocations to low predation lead to non-parallel increases in relative brain size
Biology Letters 16 (2020)1. - ISSN 1744-9561 - 1 p.