INFO

Thomas Bugnyar received his PhD in Biological Sciences from University of Vienna in 2001. He worked as an Erwin Schrödinger fellow at the University of Vermont, USA, and as lecturer at the School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, UK. In 2008 he settled in Austria with the help of the prestigious START prize. Since 2013 he is full Professor of Cognitive Ethology at the University of Vienna.

Bugnyar is interested in social behavior and the evolution of complex cognition. He pursues an integrative approach, combining concepts and methods of behavioral biology and comparative psychology. The broad questions are (i) which abilities do individuals require to solve problems in daily life with others, (ii) what types of mental representation underlie these abilities and (iii) how are skills acquired and transmitted.

He is most renowned for his long-term program on ravens studied under captive and field conditions but currently expands his work to other ‘smart’ animals such as primates and parrots.

TOP 5 PUBLICATIONS

Boucherie, P.H., Gallego-Abenza, M., Massen, J.J.M. & Bugnyar, T. 2022. Dominance in a socially dynamic setting: hierarchical structure and conflict dynamics in raven foraging groups. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Series B, 377, 20200446.

Adriaense, J.E.C., Martin, J.S., Schiestl, M., Lamm, C. & Bugnyar, T. 2019. Negative emotional contagion and cognitive bias in common ravens (Corvus corax). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116, 11547-11552. 10.1073/pnas.1817066116

Bugnyar, T., Reber, S.A. & Buckner, C. 2016. Ravens attribute visual access to unseen competitors. Nature Communications, 7, 10506.

Güntürkün, O. & Bugnyar, T. 2016. Cognition without cortex. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20, 291-303.

Bugnyar, T. & Heinrich, B. 2005. Food-storing ravens differentiate between knowlegeable and ignorant competitors. Proceedings Royal Society London Series B 272, 1641-1646.

PRESS ARTICLES & BOOKS

Ravens, Thomas Bugnyar. The secrets of their amazing intelligence and social skills. Latest scientific findings and insights into the work with the impressive ravens. Brandstätter Verlag ISBN: 978-3-7106-0637-3. Only in German language available.

Raven social cognition and behavior. Bugnyar, T., 2021, The Cambridge Handbook of Animal Cognition. Cambridge University Press.