There is also growing evidence that while certain bird species might "mate
for life", that does not mean that they are faithful to their chosen
partners. Infidelity is pretty common, even amongst bird species who pair
only for the breeding season. There is a great segment in David
Attenborough's "Life of Birds" discussing infidelity amongst Dunnocks in
English gardens.
Douglas Carver
Albuquerque, NM
On Sat, May 17, 2008 at 1:13 AM, Robyn Charlton <>
wrote:
> It is interesting on how we perceive the relationships of other species.
> Could it be that those particular birds the Guide talks about, actually did
> 'die of a broken heart'. I've observed guinea pigs fret or grieve to death
> at the lost of a partner. Humans have 'died of a broken heart' due to the
> loss of another;while not all guinea pigs or humans do so and do move on to
> find other partners. May be there could be a definite case of
> individuality
> in all species.
>
> Rob
>
> On Sat, May 17, 2008 at 5:01 PM, Greg & Val Clancy <>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi Max,
> >
> > As tourists love to hear stories like the Radjah Shelduck one guides
> > sometimes embellish the facts and I doubt that there is any truth to it.
> It
> > may be true that some species of birds 'mate for life' but once one bird
> > dies the other one usually finds another mate. That is not to say that a
> > certain amount of 'grief' doesn't occur. I know as a scientist that I
> > shouldn't be talking this way but science's ideas about bird's
> intelligence
> > and emotions are changing as time proceeds.
> > I have studied Ospreys and Black-necked (Satin) Storks and have found
> that
> > both of these species, while apparently 'mating for life' do find new
> > partners in the event of a partner's death. Divorce, although rare, also
> > does occur.
> > HANZAB states re. the Radjah Shelduck "sustained monogamous; pair bonds
> > probably lifelong."
> >
> > Greg Clancy
> >
> >
|
