Another study has confirmed what we already know—homosexuality is a part of nature.
The BBC reports that a new study on zebra finches has discovered that same-sex pairings of the colorful birds not only exist but they also participate in mating behavior just like their heterosexual counterparts. Apparently the highly vocal birds sing to their mates in order to strengthen the bond between them and this behavior is found in both heterosexual and homosexual pairings. Lead researcher Dr. Julie Elie told BBC, “Relationships in animals can be more complicated than just a male and female who meet and reproduce, even in birds.”
Zebra finches are known for being highly social and establish life-long relationships, according to the study. Couples preen each other and share a nest while males sing to their mates. The study conducted by Dr. Elie and her colleagues on the behavior of the birds found uncovered some astounding results. “My observations of [the birds] led me to this surprising result: same-sex individuals would also interact in affiliative manners, like male-female pairs,” Elie told BBC Nature.
Once the discovery had been made, the team decided to take a closer look at same-sex pairings of the birds. They began by raising groups of young finches in same-sex pairs to find that over half of the birds paired up with another of the same sex. Then they watched the pairs for signs that they had fully bonded. According to an explanation Dr Elie gave BBC Nature, bonded birds greet each other by “nuzzling” beaks and perch side by side nestled together. The same-sex pairs exhibited identical behavior to their heterosexual counterparts. Then in the final stage of the study, female finches were introduced to the male-male bonded pairs. Of the eight males who had bonded with a same-sex partner, five ignored the females in favor of their male partner.
“A pair-bond in socially monogamous species represents a cooperative partnership that may give advantages for survival,” Elie told BBC. “Finding a social partner, whatever its sex could be a priority.”
This is not the first time same-pairings have been found in the realm of our fine-feathered friends. "In monogamous gulls and albatrosses, it gives females the chance to breed with a male partner," Dr. Elie explained. “Female partners copulate with a paired male then rear the young together.”
And who could forget the famous male chinstrap penguins named Roy and Silo? The two bonded in Manhattan’s Central Park Zoo, built a nest together and even incubated and hatched an egg that one of the zookeepers had given them.
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