Earwig-oh, earwig-oh: birds 'behave like football fans'
LONDON (AFP) — Rival groups of birds behave like football fans, shouting chants at each other and commiserating with each other after a loss, research from England's University of Bristol revealed Wednesday.
Green woodhoopoes, a South African bird, live together in gangs of up to 12 and "rival groups often engage in raucous vocal displays, akin to opposing football supporters chanting at one another", the university in the west of England said.
The research by Dr Andy Radford, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B, also revealed that the birds preen each other after a conflict, particularly when they have just lost or the battle lasted a long time.
"Just as football fans commiserate with their friends in the pub when their team loses a match... birds support one another following contests with their rivals," the university said in a statement.
Radford said preening rates were highest among the most conflict-prone groups and suggested dominant members may preen subordinates in return for their participation in battles, or possibly to encourage them to stand in future fights.
"Preening may reduce stress and enhance cohesion among group members, which is particularly important following battles that are lost," he said.
Experts have long suggested a link between the amount of conflict in a group and the level of cooperation between its members, but almost no empirical studies had investigated the possibility.
