Researchers from the University
of Chicago and University of Nebraska show for the first time how birds from
two different species recognize individuals and cooperate for mutual benefit.
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MEDICAL
CENTER
Cooperation among different
species of birds is common. Some birds build their nests near those of larger,
more aggressive species to deter predators, and flocks of mixed species forage
for food and defend territories together in alliances that can last for years.
In most cases, though, these partnerships are not between specific individuals
of the other species--any bird from the other species will do.
But in a new study published in
the journal Behavioral Ecology, scientists from the University of Chicago
and University of Nebraska show how two different species of Australian
fairy-wrens not only recognize individual birds from other species, but also
form long-term partnerships that help them forage and defend their shared space
as a group.
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