Yet another scientific study suggests that, contrary to endless heterocentric brainwashing, maybe nature's top priority isn't always reproduction. UC Berkeley's Dr. Julie Elie led a team researching zebra finches. Raised in same sex groups, more than half the males pair bonded with another male. They exhibited the same behavior as male-female pairs including singing to each other, preening, sitting closely side by side, nuzzling beaks, and sharing a nest. The BBC reports, "Same-sex pairs of monogamous birds are just as attached and faithful to each other as those paired with a member of the opposite sex." Here's the kicker:
"In the next stage of their study, the scientists brought novel females to a group of bonded male-male pairs. Out of eight males that were engaged in same-sex pair-bonds, five ignored the females completely and continued to interact with their male partner.
"The findings indicate that, even in birds, the drive to find a mate is far more complicated than simply the need to reproduce.
"A pair-bond in socially monogamous species represents a cooperative partnership that may give advantages for survival," said Dr Elie. "Finding a social partner, whatever its sex, could be a priority."
The best book on the subject is Bruce Bagemihl's encyclopedic marvel, written for lay readers and scientists alike, Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity.
Below, a male-female pair demonstrate the one-step-forward two-steps-back nature of all flirting.
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