Animal communication serves many functions, allowing individuals to establish dominance, defend territories, attract mates, obtain information, and to warn others of potential danger. Signalling traits can be diverse, encompassing badges of status, sexual colouration and different call types, all of which are influenced by an animal’s behaviour. We are interested in understanding how these signalling traits vary with context and according to anthropogenic changes in the environment (e.g. urban noise). We also examine how ecological and environmental constraints influence the evolution of different signalling traits.  

Within animal communication, we look at both the function and complexity of different modes of communication, and ontogenetic changes in these. We conduct careful experiments to determine the purpose and function of different types of communication in many animal species, ranging from fish, reptiles, birds and mammals. In many species, communication is fundamental to everyday life, and this communication can be both impacted by anthropogenic change, but also act as a means by which individuals can adapt to such changes.