Corvid Workshop 2024: Ecology meets Cognition

From October 14^th to 18^th, 2024, the ‘Corvid Workshop 2024: Ecology meets Cognition’ was hosted at the University Biology Building in Vienna and the Konrad Lorenz Research Centre in Grünau im Almtal. The workshop focused on corvid cognition and ecology and served as a platform to advance interdisciplinary research by fostering collaboration between researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Vienna.

The workshop featured a public lecture by Prof. Alex Thornton, site visits to the Konrad Lorenz Research and Haidlhof Research Centres, and hands-on sessions, including speed networking, idea jams, and panel discussions. Highlights included talks, posters, and discussions on the integration of methods for studying wild and captive corvids, a tour of Cumberland Wildpark, and a pub quiz – fostering opportunity to share insights, explore new avenues for collaboration, and network.

Key scientific goals of the workshop were:

• Facilitating the exchange of diverse methodological approaches for studying corvid cognition and behavior.
• Exploring the ecological and evolutionary implications of corvid socio-cognitive skills.
• Initiating collaborations to integrate techniques such as GPS tracking, social network analysis, and behavioral observations across wild and captive populations.

Throughout the workshop, collaborative brainstorming on the challenges and opportunities of studying corvid cognition in both captive and wild contexts highlighted the value of long-term, multi-site data collection, and the importance of integrating multiple methodologies in this field.