" What is love ? “:this is a universal question that many scientists regularly try to answer (with sometimes very surprising answers…). And lately, they wondered about the love that can be born... between two birds. Because yes, according to a study by Malika Ihle, Bart Kempenaers and Wolfgang Forstmeier, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Ornithology in Germany, and published in the journal PLOS Biology, birds - and in particular "zebra finches »- can also experience the thrills of amûûûr.
Yup, like us, these little red-billed gray birds choose a mate with behaviors or interests similar to theirs (like a passion for meaty worms or speed sports, we guess…). And like most of us (at least in theory), they have long-lasting monogamous relationships where they raise their young together. The only difference is that this love does not prevent them from openly having sex outside of the couple. Little rascals…
To further study this love behavior, the researchers locked twenty male and twenty female zebra finches in a cage to choose their mate. And once everyone found a lover, BAM, the scientists separated half of them (oh cruelty), allowing one part to continue to coo together, and the other to find each other in a cage with a stranger. Sniff…
The finding? On the "love" side, fertilization was 37% higher than on the "default" side. Heartbroken, the latter couples had less sex and experienced more lost or unfertilized eggs. Worse:in poor health and less supervised by their parents (busy frolicking elsewhere), more chicks died after birth.
Even sadder than The Notebook (Never Forget)... We hope our mandarins were able to find their lost love afterwards.
