Superb starlings swap helper and breeder roles with kin and non-kin

African starlings form friendships to help raise babies

Superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus). Credit: Dan Harville (CC BY-SA) Like long-term friendships between humans, African superb starlings become besties with individuals they are not related to and help each other repeatedly over time. These are the findings of a study which analysed more than 20 years of behavioural observations of starlings in east African savannahs. The starlings demonstrated “reciprocity” – helping each other with the exp…

Superb starlings swap helper and breeder roles with kin and non-kin

A 20-year field study of the African superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus) found striking evidence that birds often switch breeding roles from year to year by taking turns as ‘breeders’ or each other’s ‘helpers’. This reciprocal assistance was not explained by genetic relatedness (kinship) and required decades of observation to be detected. A 20-year study uncovered a cryptic form of reciprocity between birds over their lifetime.

Cryptic Reciprocity in Cooperative Bird Breeding

In the intricate social world of cooperatively breeding superb starlings, recent research has unveiled a complex interplay between kinship, reciprocity, and dispersal strategies that challenges traditional views on cooperative behavior in birds. These findings illuminate how different routes to fitness benefits—both direct and indirect—shape helping behaviors differently according to an individual’s sex and history of residency or immigration wi…

African Superb Starlings Can Form Friendship-Like Bonds, Study Shows

Superb starlings (Lamprotornis superbus) demonstrate ‘reciprocity,’ helping each other with the expectation that the favor will eventually be returned, according to new research. The post African Superb Starlings Can Form Friendship-Like Bonds, Study Shows appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.