D’Amelio BP, Carlson VN, Tognetti A, Sentís M, Silva RL, Rybak F, Covas R, Doutrelant C (2025) Is provisioning rate of parents and helpers influenced by the simulated presence of novel individuals? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 79:14
Silva NJ, Ferreira AC, Silva LR, Perret S, Tieo S, RenoultJP, Covas R, Doutrelant C (2025) A deep learning approach to detect and visualise sexual dimorphism in monomorphic species. Animal Behaviour 225, 123223.
Harscouet-Commecy, E.; Adenot, T.; Thetiot, A.; Bresciani, N.; Oschadleus, H.-D.; Covas, R.; Rybak, F.; Doutrelant, C. (2025) Colony size as the main driver of the evolution of song diversity and composition in weaverbirds. Peer Community Journal, volume 5 , article no. e47.
en Mocha, Y., Woith, M., Scemama de Gialluly, S., Bruscagnin, L., Kestel, N., Markman, S., Drobniak, S. M., Baglione, V., Boersma, J., Cousseau, L., Covas, R., Braga de Miranda, G. H., Dey, C. J., Doutrelant, C., Gula, R., Heinsohn, R., Keynan, O., Kingma, S. A., Leitão, A. V., … Griesser, M. (2025). An integrative, peer-reviewed and open-source Cooperative Breeding Database (Co-BreeD) Journal of Animal Ecology, 00, 1–18
Silva, N. J., Benoit, F., Elliott, A., Rault, C., Colençon, P., Covas, R., & Doutrelant, C. (2024). Sex and age differences in the preference for materials for the communal nests of sociable weavers Philetairus socius. Ethology, 00, e13472.
D’Amelio, P. B., Silva, N. J., Silva, L. R., Ferreira, A. C., Theron, F., Doutrelant, C., & Covas, R. (2024). Highly variable breeding phenology in an arid region colonial cooperative breeder, the Sociable Weaver Philetairus socius. Ostrich, 1–7..
Fortuna, R., Covas, R., D’Amelio, P., Silva, Liliana R., Parenteau, C., Bliard, L., Rybak, F., Doutrelant, C., Paquet, M..(March/April 2024). Interplay of cooperative breeding and predation risk on egg allocation and reproductive output, Behavioral Ecology, Volume 35, Issue 2, arae010.
D’Amelio, P., Covas, R., Ferreira, Andre C., Fortuna, R., Silva, Liliana R., Theron, F., Rybak, F., Doutrelant, C. (2024). Benefits of pair-bond duration on reproduction in a life-long monogamous cooperative passerine. The American Naturalist 0 0:0, 000-000.
Halupka et al 2023 The effect of climate change on avian offspring production: A global meta-analysis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120, 19 e2208389120.
Fortuna, R., Paquet, M., Biard, C., Élard, L., Ferreira, André C., Leroux-Coyaux, M., Parenteau, C., Silva, Liliana R., Théron, F., Covas, R., Doutrelant, C. (2023) Egg components and offspring survival vary with group size and laying order in a cooperative breeder. Oecologia, 1432-1939.
D’Amelio, P.B., Ferreira, A.C., Fortuna, R., Paquet, M., Silva, L.R., Theron, F., Doutrelant, C., Covas, R. (2022) Disentangling climatic and nest predator impact on reproductive output reveals adverse high- temperature effects regardless of helper number in an arid- region cooperative bird. Ecology Letters, 25:151–162.
Covas R, Lardy S, Silva LR, Rey B, Ferreira AC, Theron F, Tognetti A, Faivre B, Doutrelant C. 2022 The oxidative cost of helping and its minimization in a cooperative breeder. Behavioral Ecology 33, 504-517.
Fortuna R, D’Amelio PB, Doutrelant C, Ferreira AC, Lecq C, Silva LR, Covas R, Rybak F, Paquet M.2022 Begging and feeding responses vary with relatedness and sex of provisioners in a cooperative breeder. Animal Behaviour 185, 49-71.
Fortuna R, Paquet M, Ferreira AC, Silva LR, Theron F, Doutrelant C, Covas R. (2021) Maternal allocation in relation to weather, predation and social factors in a colonial cooperative bird. Journal of Animal Ecology. 90: 1122–1133.
Quque M, Paquet M, Zahn S, Théron F, Faivre B, Sueur C, Criscuolo F, Doutrelant C, Covas R (2021) Contrasting associations between nestling telomere length and pre and postnatal helpers’ presence in a cooperatively breeding bird. Oecologia
Ferreira AC, Covas R, Silva LR, Esteves SC, Duarte IF, Fortune R, Theron F, Doutrelant C, Farine DR (2020) How to make methodological decisions when inferring social networks. Ecology and Evolution 10, 9132–9143.
Ferreira AC, Silva LR, Renna F, Brandl HB, Renoult JP, Farine DR, Covas R, Doutrelant C (2020) Deep learning-based methods for individual recognition in small birds. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 00, 1–14.
Jansen D, Pradel R, Mares R, Doutrelant C, Spottiswoode C, Covas R, Altwegg R (2019) An integrated population model sheds light on the complex population dynamics of a unique colonial breeder. Population Ecology 61, 406-420.
Covas R, & Doutrelant C. 2019 Testing the Sexual and Social Benefits of Cooperation in Animals. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 34(2), 112–120.
Silva LR, Lardy S, Ferreira AC, Rey B, Doutrelant C, Covas R. (2018) Females pay the oxidative cost of dominance in a highly social bird. Animal Behaviour 144, 135–146.
Mares R, Doutrelant C, Paquet M, Spottiswoode CN, Covas R (2017) Breeding decisions and output are correlated with both temperature and rainfall in an arid-region passerine, the sociable weaver. Royal Society Open Science 4 (9), 170835.
Lloyd K, Altwegg R, Doutrelant C, Covas R (2017) Factors affecting the foraging distance and duration of a colonial bird, the sociable weaver, in a semi-arid environment. Journal of African of Ecology 56, 659-663.
Paquet M, Doutrelant C, Loubon M, Theron F, Rat M, Covas R (2016) Communal roosting, thermoregulatory benefits and breeding group size predictability in cooperatively breeding sociable weavers. Journal of Avian Biology 47(6), 749-755.
van Dijk RE, Covas R, Doutrelant C, Spottiswoode CN, Hatchwell BJ (2015) Fine‐scale genetic structure reflects sex‐specific dispersal strategies in a population of sociable weavers (Philetairus socius). Molecular Ecology 24, 4296–4311.
Rat M, van Dijk RE, Covas R, Doutrelant C (2015) Dominance hierarchies and associated signalling in a cooperative passerine. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 69, 437‐448.
Paquet M, Covas R, Doutrelant C (2015) A cross‐fostering experiment reveals that prenatal environment affects begging behaviour in a cooperative breeder. Animal Behaviour 102, 251‐258.
Paquet M, Doutrelant C, Hatchwell BJ, Spottiswoode CN, Covas R (2015) Antagonistic effect of helpers on breeding male and female survival a cooperatively breeding bird. Journal of Animal Ecology 84, 1354–1362.
Acker P, Gregoire A, Rat M, Spottiswoode CN, van Dijk RE, Paquet M, Kaden J, Pradel R, Hatchwell BJ, Covas R, Doutrelant C (2015) Disruptive viability selection on a black plumage trait associated with dominance. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 28 (11), 2027–2041.
Altwegg R, Doutrelant C, Anderson MD, Spottiswoode CN, Covas R (2014) Climate, social factors and research disturbance influence population dynamics in a declining sociable weaver metapopulation. Oecologia 174(2), 413-425.
van Dijk RE, Kaden JC, Argüelles-Ticó A, Beltran LM, Paquet M, Covas R, Doutrelant C, Hatchwell BJ (2013) The thermoregulatory benefits of the communal nest of sociable weavers Philetairus socius are spatially structured within nests. Journal of Avian Biology 44(2), 102–110.
Paquet M, Covas R, Chastel O, Parenteau C, Doutrelant C (2013) Maternal effects in relation to helper presence in the cooperatively breeding sociable weaver. PLOS ONE 8(3), e59336.
Doutrelant C, Dalecky A, Covas R (2011) Age and relatedness have an interactive effect on the feeding behaviour of helpers in cooperatively breeding sociable weavers. Behaviour 148(11-13), 1399-1417.
Covas R, Deville A-S, Doutrelant C, Spottiswoode CN, Grégoire A (2011) The effect of helpers on the post?edging period in a cooperatively breeding bird, the sociable weaver. Animal Behavior 81(1), 121-126.
Covas R, du Plessis MA, Doutrelant C (2008) Helpers in colonial cooperatively breeding sociable weavers Philetairus socius contribute to buffer the effects of adverse breeding conditions. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 63(1), 103-112.
Schwager M, Covas R, Blaum N, Jeltsch F 2008 Limitations of population models in predicting climate change effects: a simulation study of sociable weavers in southern Africa. Oikos 117:1417-1427
Gimenez O, Viallefont A, Charmantier A, Pradel R, Cam E, Brown CR, Anderson MD, Brown MB, Covas R, Gaillard J-M 2008 The risk of flawed inference in evolutionary studies when detectability is less than one. American Naturalist 172, 441–448
Doutrelant C, Covas R (2007) Helping has signalling characteristics in a cooperatively breeding bird. Animal Behaviour 74, 739-747.
Covas R, Dalecky A, Caizergues A, Doutrelant C (2006) Kin associations and direct vs indirect fitness benefits in colonial cooperatively breeding sociable weavers Philetairus socius. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 60, 323–331.
Covas R, du Plessis MA (2005) The effect of helpers on artificially increased brood size in sociable weavers (Philetairus socius). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 57, 631–636.
Doutrelant C, Covas R, Caizergues A, du Plessis MA (2004) Unexpected sex ratio adjustment in a colonial cooperative bird: pairs with helpers produce more of the helping sex whereas pairs without helpers do not. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 56, 149–154.
Covas R, Brown CR, Anderson MD, Brown MB (2004) Juvenile and adult survival in the sociable weaver (Philetairus socius), a southern-temperate colonial cooperative breeder in Africa. The Auk 121(4),1199–1207.
Covas R, Huyser O, Doutrelant C (2004) Pygmy Falcon predation of nestlings of their obligate host, the Sociable Weaver. Ostrich 75(4), 325–326.
Covas R, Doutrelant C, du Plessis MA (2004) Experimental evidence of a link between breeding conditions and the decision to breed or to help in a colonial cooperative bird. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 271, 827–832.
Brown CR, Covas R, Anderson MD, Brown MB (2003) Multistate estimates of survival and movement in relation to colony size in the sociable weaver. Behavioral Ecology 14(4), 463–471.
Covas R, Brown CR, Anderson MD, Brown MB (2002) Stabilizing selection on body mass in the sociable weaver Philetairus socius. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 269, 1905–1909.
