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ABSTRACT Visual ecology, the study of how animals acquire and respond to visual information in nature, has grown rapidly over the past few decades. Research in this field has transformed our understanding of fundamental processes, such as the neurobiological basis of behavior and the diversification of species through sensory drive. The recent growth in the field has been accompanied by leaps in our understanding of the diversity of visual systems and in the development of novel technologies and techniques (for example, those allowing us to measure scenes and signals). With such growth, however, it is more important than ever to integrate wide perspectives and expertise to move the field forward in the most productive way. To that end, in summer 2024, 30 visual ecologists from around the world – spanning all career stages – met to discuss the state of the field. From that meeting, we identified two broad emerging themes in the study of visual ecology. (1) Can we further ‘step inside’ the perceptual experience of a non-human animal? (2) Can foundational ‘rules’ of vision and visual stimuli be identified? Although large questions such as these can feel unanswerable, this is where some of the most exciting discoveries in visual ecology remain to be made. Here, we outline eight relevant areas of research and identify ways in which researchers can bring us closer to answering these complex questions. 

The persistence of imperfect mimicry in nature presents a challenge to mimicry theory. Some hypotheses for the existence of imperfect mimicry make differing predictions depending on how mimetic fidelity is measured. Here, we measure mimetic fidelity in a brood parasite–host system using both trait-based and response-based measures of mimetic fidelity. Cuckoo finchesAnomalospiza imberbislay imperfectly mimetic eggs that lack the fine scribbling characteristic of eggs of the tawny-flanked priniaPrinia subflava, a common host species. A trait-based discriminant analysis based on Minkowski functionals—that use geometric and topological morphometric methods related to egg pattern shape and coverage—reflects this consistent difference between host and parasite eggs. These methods could be applied to quantify other phenotypes including stripes and waved patterns. Furthermore, by painting scribbles onto cuckoo finch eggs and testing their rate of rejection compared to control eggs (i.e. a response-based approach to quantify mimetic fidelity), we show that prinias do not discriminate between eggs based on the absence of scribbles. Overall, our results support relaxed selection on cuckoo finches to mimic scribbles, since prinias do not respond differently to eggs with and without scribbles, despite the existence of this consistent trait difference.