Weaver birds that eat seeds flock together and nest in colonies more commonly than those species that eat insects, suggests new research by an international team of scientists led by the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath. For the first time, the study statistically supports an influential ecological hypothesis on social behaviour first proposed 58 years ago. Weaver birds are a family of 118 songbird species that live mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and are so-called because of the elaborate construction of their nests. The lesser masked weaver builds its nests in large colonies and has several partners per breeding season. (Credit: Chao Zhao) Whilst some species live on the savannah feeding on seeds, other species live in the forest and mostly dine on insects. ...
Read More
You must be logged in to post a comment.