Giovanni Spezie

My research interests revolve around the fascinating world of elaborate courtship displays, with a focus on the interplay between learning, cognition and sexual selection. Specifically, I am interested in exploring the role that behavioural plasticity and social learning play in the development and expression of sexual signaling. During my PhD, I worked on bowerbird courtship on the field, with the aim of examining whether same-sex social interactions may guide the development of visual courtship components in male spotted bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus maculatus).
In addition, I am passionate about investigating the motor components of courtship behaviour, and developing quantitative methodologies to better understand and measure these complex behaviours. By delving deeper into these topics, I hope to shed light on the ways in which animals learn and/or adjust their courtship behaviour in response to their (social) environment.
During this Fellowship, I aim to investigate the role of the social environment in the expression of behavioural phenotypes in ruffs (Calidris pungax) and spotted bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus maculatus), two species that exhibit alternative reproductive tactics.