Contents:
- WHY IT'S OK FOR BIRDS TO BE GAY
- CAN BIRDS BE GAY? DO BIRDS SHOW HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVR?
- IS MY BIRD GAY? INFORMATN ABOUT HOMOSEXUAL BIRDS AND PARROTS
WHY IT'S OK FOR BIRDS TO BE GAY
Although rarely addrsed the lerature, sexual teractns between dividuals of the same sex occur birds, wh over 130 avian speci worldwi beg documented as engagg same-sex sexual, same-sex, or homosexual behavrs (Bagemihl 1999). Although the patterns of behavr may be cricized when termed same-sex sexual, many thors have fed the associatns as “isosexual, ” “trasexual, ” or “homosexual” (e.
Dmmg by, and an stance of homosexual behavur the lser goln-backed woodpecker, Dopium benghalense, J Bombay Nat Hist Soc, 1962, vol. Homosexual behavur animals, The psychology of sexual diversy, 1984OxfordBlackwell Scientific(pg.
CAN BIRDS BE GAY? DO BIRDS SHOW HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVR?
However, scientific quiry to such behavrs didn’t happen until relatively recently due to historilly pervasive, negative attus towards homosexualy humans.
New work by evolutnary blogists suggts that perhaps, bld by historil homophobia, we have been askg the wrong qutn all along. In the past, was thought that female maqu engage homosexual relatnships this way only when suable mal are not prent.
In other words, rearchers assumed that homosexual behavr only happens when animals are isolated om members of the oppose sex. Therefore, acrdg to experts, many female Japane maqu nnot be nsired eher preferentially homo- or heterosexual.
IS MY BIRD GAY? INFORMATN ABOUT HOMOSEXUAL BIRDS AND PARROTS
On the other hand, bee female maqu will reproduce wh mal throughout their lifetime regardls of their tert homosexual behavr, the end the relatnships do not acce any st to lifetime reproductn. But new rearch shows that even the direct benefs are not required for the persistence of homosexual behavr animals.
They're not alone: More than 130 bird speci are known to engage homosexual behavr at least ocsnally, a fact that has puzzled all, evolutnary terms same-sex matg seems to rce the birds' chanc of reproductive succs. In some speci the same-sex pairs even raise young (nceived wh outsi partners, obvly) and stay together for several 2007, a team led by Geoff MacFarlane, a blogist at the Universy of Newstle Atralia, reported that male homosexual behavr was more mon polygyno bird speci, where mal mate wh numero femal, and that female homosexual behavr was more mon monogamo speci. Srg sexTo fd out whether the theory might extend to homosexual behavr, MacFarlane and his team exhstively bed the lerature for acunts of same-sex urtship, mountg, or pair bondg.
For each speci, the team lculated the equency of homosexual behavr as well as both sex' ntributns to parentg.