Abstract: A wide range of animal species accumulate objects in, on, and/or around structures they build. Sometimes, these accumulations serve specific functions (e.g. structural or isolating features) or are purely incidental, while in other cases the materials are deliberately displayed to serve signalling purposes (extended phenotype signals). In this pilot study, we employed systematic in situ observations and camera trapping to describe for the first time that both partners of a territorial shorebird, the black-faced sheathbill (Chionis minor ssp minor) collect, carry, and arrange colourful marine shells and dry twigs within and around their nest cavity. Our observations expand the taxonomic breadth of avian extended phenotype signals, by showing that at least one species within a largely understudied group i.e., Charadriiformes, exhibits nest-decoration behaviour. Multiple manipulative experiments are needed to explore further the signalling function of these decorations, which opens new exciting avenues for animal communication and cognition research.

Abstract: Bio-logging is a methodological approach in which miniature data recording devices are temporarily attached to free-ranging animals to monitor their movement, behaviour and physiology, as well as the physical parameters of the environment directly surrounding the animals, turning them into bio-plateformes. Unsurprisingly bio-logging emerged from marine and polar studies where the monitoring of individuals in these harsh and remote places cannot be done using traditional approaches. Miniaturization and technological advances has meant that the range of species that can be instrumented, as well as the diversity of the questions that can be sought through bio-logging, are expanding fast. New sensors are constantly being developed, pushing further the limits of this field. Instrumented animals deliver information not only on their activities but also on the physical characteristics of the environments they go through. For instance, over the last two decades, loggers attached to deep diving seals have supplemented physical oceanographic measurements with hydrographic profiles from CTD loggers but also with new series of biological measurements. For examples, fluorescence and light sensors provided information on the concentration of phytoplankton in the euphotic layer; miniature echo sounders together with high sensitivity and fast responding light sensor to detect bioluminescence, brought considerable progress in detecting small size particles (>1-2 mm) such as marine snow, zooplankton, but also fish and squids and estimate their abundance.