Today’s Science Times section of the New York Times reported the following story:
Marriage, infidelity and divorce: these intimate matters are familiar to humans. But oddly enough, birds deal with them as well. Now researchers have found that avian infidelity is more common in severe or uncertain weather.
Dr. Carlos Botero published data on more than 80 bird species including swallow, chickadee, bluebirds, falcons, gulls and geese.
In birds, infidelity is measured through DNA testing of off spring. Divorce is measured by how birds pair off. When two birds are paired one year but seek a new partner the next, they are considered divorced.
Dr. Botero found that promiscuity increases when weather changes, because birds seek different traits in their mates as conditions change.
For instance, in a climate where rain is abundant and there many fruits, birds might rely on small, soft seeds for food. In this case, a female might be attracted to a male with a short, narrow bill capable of easily eating these seeds.
But if conditions turn dry and only hard seeds are available, a bird with a stronger, bigger beak might be more capable – and more alluring as a mate.
The researchers believe that as the climate changes, birds may be reckoning with increased marital strife
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