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The Ethological Society meets once a year for its Annual Meeting, which typically takes place during the second week of February. The meeting is organised by members of our community and is usually hosted in Germany, Switzerland or Austria. Every other year, the Society’s General Assembly is held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting. Members who are interested in organising a future meeting are warmly encouraged to get in touch with the President.

The Council is pleased to offer practical support throughout the process in the form of tips and suggestions designed to help organisers avoid reinventing the wheel. Council members remain approachable and available throughout, so organisers can seek advice at any stage. Organising a meeting can be highly rewarding, as it provides hosts with the opportunity to shape the scientific focus and to contribute substantially to the Society’s activities. A list of previous EthoGes, our Annual Meetings, and ECBB, the European Conference for Behavioural Biology co founded by the Society, can be found here.

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Below you will find a list of international meetings that are likely to be of interest to those studying Behavioural Biology. If you would like your conference or workshop added to this list, please contact the society’s manager.

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2026

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Joint Graduate Meeting: Animal Behaviour 2026
30 September – 2 October 2026, Münster, Germany

We invite Bachelor’s and Master’s students, PhDs and early Post-docs to present and discuss their results with peers at the Joint Graduate Meeting of the Ethological Society and the Behavioural Biology Section of the German Zoological Society (DZG). The event is designed to provide a platform for undergraduate and graduate students to present their research, interact with peers, and engage in stimulating discussions about the latest trends and developments in the field of behavioural sciences.

There will be no registration fees, but you need to register, please use this form.

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Animal Behaviour Live 2026
12 November 2026, online

The seventh edition of our Annual Online Conference will focus on the theme “Studying Animal Behaviour in a Changing World”. The programme will bring together researchers from around the world to discuss how animals are responding to environmental change, how we can improve the way we study behaviour, and how emerging technologies and methods (including AI) are shaping the future of animal behaviour research. As always, the conference is completely FREE and open to all. Across three sessions, participants can enjoy: 3 plenary talks, short presentations, a poster session running throughout the conference, workshops and opportunities to connect with the global animal behaviour community !

More information can be found here.

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ASAB Winter Meeting, 2026
08 December  – 10th December 2026, Edinburgh, UK

Social learning is learning from others. The larger phenomenon of culture is identified when a group or population shares a behaviour because it is transmitted between individuals through social learning. Thus, social learning is necessary for culture, but does not equate to it.

Just a few decades ago, culture was said to be uniquely human, but that assumption was progressively eroded in the twentieth century, with the present century seeing an explosion of research on the topic. A burgeoning literature has revealed social learning and culture in a diversity of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and insects, spanning a host of types of behaviour. Examples are emerging across a growing variety of behavioural domains including foraging techniques, migratory patterns, tool use, mate choice, vocal repertoires, breeding site preferences, nest making and courtship overtures. Our evolutionary perspectives on behaviour are hence accommodating to the many implications of the discovery of this pervasive ‘second inheritance system’ in many animals’ lives.

In London in 2015, a first Joint Winter Conference of ASAB and PSGB on the topic of Social Learning and Culture proved highly popular and was judged a great success. Since then, the topic has continued to accelerate in the quality and reach of its findings, accompanied by a recognition of their potential in supporting conservation efforts and animal welfare. We judged the time is ripe for a further joint conference, covering the latest research efforts so active in both societies.

Participation is free of charge, but registration will be required here.

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2027

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Annual Meeting of the Ethological Society, 2027
25 February – 26 February 2027, Konstanz, Germany

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