Divorce is something we normally associate with humans. But, did you know birds too go through a divorce? A new study on bird breakups has revealed fascinating information. Affairs and lengthy spells of time apart can lead to divorce not just in humans but in birds too.
As per a report in The Guardian, it is thought that approximately 90 per cent of bird species generally remain monogamous and have a single mate during a breeding season. However, some birds choose to divorce their partners and seek new mates for subsequent breeding seasons, even when their original mates are still alive.
This behaviour, known as “divorce” in birds, has intrigued researchers, who have sought to uncover the underlying factors behind these avian breakups.
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A team of researchers from China and Germany claims to have identified two key factors that contribute to divorce from a wide range of bird species: male promiscuity and long-distance migrations. The team published their findings in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
How did researchers analyse bird divorces?
To investigate the factors associated with divorce in birds, the researchers analysed divorce rates, mortality data, and migration distances for 232 bird species. They assigned separate “promiscuity scores” to males and females of each species based on existing information about their mating behaviour.
Additionally, they considered the evolutionary relationships between species to account for the impact of common ancestry.
Study findings
The results of the analysis revealed a notable pattern: species with high divorce rates tended to be closely related to each other, as did species with low divorce rates.
A similar pattern was observed for male promiscuity.
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Certain bird species such as plovers, swallows, martins, orioles, and blackbirds exhibited both high divorce rates and male promiscuity, while others such as petrels, albatrosses, geese, and swans displayed low divorce rates and male promiscuity.
Interestingly, the researchers found that higher male promiscuity correlated with higher divorce rates, while female promiscuity did not have the same effect.
Male promiscuity vs. female promiscuity
As per Dr Zitan Song of Germany’s Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, a co-author, male promiscuity is characterised by dividing attention and resources among multiple females, which they say can diminish the male’s commitment and make him less attractive as a partner for the next breeding season.
On the other hand, mating with multiple females can enhance a male bird’s fitness.
However, the researchers suggested that female promiscuity might not lead to the same consequences because uncertainty about offspring paternity could result in increased male involvement in parental care.
What else can lead to divorce in birds?
The study also uncovered a relationship between divorce rates and migration distances. Birds with longer migration distances tended to have higher divorce rates. Asynchronous arrival at breeding destinations could lead to a situation where early-arriving birds mate with different partners, resulting in divorce. Additionally, migrating birds might land in different breeding sites, unintentionally causing divorce due to separation.
“After migrating, pairs may arrive at their destination asynchronously, leading to a situation where the early arrival might mate with a different partner, resulting in a ‘divorce’. Migration could also lead to pairs landing in different breeding sites, thereby causing ‘divorce’ due to accidental loss. This effect intensifies with increasing migration distance,” said Song.
“Divorce can aid in facilitating immediate breeding upon arrival, rather than waiting for a previous partner,” she added.
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Longer migrations also narrowed the window for breeding, which might contribute to divorce as pairs seek immediate breeding opportunities upon arrival.
The results as per the researchers suggest that divorce in birds is not simply a strategy to enhance an individual’s fitness or a response to ecological factors like migration, but may be influenced by both.
Dr Samantha Patrick, a marine biology expert from the University of Liverpool who was not involved in the study, welcomed the research. As per The Guardian, she found the results linking migration asynchrony to divorce particularly interesting. She remarked that climate change could increase variability in migration timings and potentially raise divorce rates across species. “As the climate becomes more unpredictable migration timings may become more variable and this paper suggests that across species this could increase divorce rates.”
NOTE – This article was originally published in wionews and can be viewed here
Tags: #animal, #birds, #blackbirds, #climate, #climatechange, #environment, #fitness, #forest, #getgreengetgrowing, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #martins, #nature, #orioles, #swallows
