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The study shows that as mated pairs of great tits settle down to breed in the spring, they establish their homes in locations close to their winter flockmates. They also arrange their territory boundaries so that their most-preferred winter 'friends' are their neighbours.
The findings give new insights into the social behaviour of birds and demonstrate how social interactions can shape other aspects of wild animals' lives, such as the environmental conditions they will experience based on their choice of home location.
The research is published in the journal Ecology Letters.
Lead author Dr Josh Firth, of the University of Oxford's Department of Zoology, said: 'The great tits we study are a good general model for many other bird species. They form large flocks in the winter, when they're searching for food, and then each pair chooses a single set breeding site where they will be located throughout the spring as they build a nest and raise their chicks.
'We show that they appear to choose their spring breeding sites to stay close to their winter flockmates. Not only do they nest closest to the birds they held the strongest winter social bonds with, they also appear to arrange their territories so that they share home boundaries with those birds.'
Dr Firth added: 'As well as telling us about the birds' social behaviour, this also has interesting implications for other aspects of biology. For instance, where an animal's "home" is determines the environmental factors they experience, such as weather conditions. Therefore, as they appear to base their location choices around their social bonds, this indicates that their previous social associations can underpin the environment and conditions they will be subjected to in future.'
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 16 2016, @11:19PM
...to begin a conversation with "great tits."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 16 2016, @11:22PM
Not just that, but:
mated pairs of great tits
Shirley they chest!
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday September 16 2016, @11:26PM
They lack imagination for sure, if they expect them to "settle down to breed".
There's a whole internet to find diversity in that matter.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 17 2016, @05:23AM
ass (the donkey)
hairless pussy (a breed of cat w/o hair, in female form)
bitch (a dog, in female form)
Imagine you had these fine animals. You were moving to an apartment, so you had to sell them. The ad: old bitch for sale; comes with hairless pussy, great tits, and a big ass.