![]() “The various different personality groups provide social help to their members, for example by supporting each other in the many squabbles that take place in flamingo flocks.” Flamingos have ‘complicated’ social life “Meanwhile, the role of submissive birds may be more complex than simply being lower down the pecking order – they may be using a different approach to get what they need. “For example, we observed groups of aggressive birds that attempt to dominate rivals and tend to get in more fights. “Like humans, flamingos appear to carve out different roles in society based on their personality,” said Fionnuala McCully, now at the University of Liverpool, who collected data for the study. The “personality” of flamingos was assessed by measuring consistent individual differences, such as aggressiveness and willingness to explore. Scientists made the discovery while analysing the personalities and social behaviour of captive Caribbean and Chilean flamingos based at WWT Slimbridge.īirds of both species tended to spend time with others whose personality was similar to their own. “For example, bolder birds had stronger, more consistent ties with other bold birds, while submissive birds tended to spend their time with fellow submissive flamingos.” Birds ‘carve out different roles’ ![]() “The answer is yes – birds of a feather flock together. “In this study, we wanted to find out whether individual character traits explain why these friendships form. “Our previous research has shown that individual flamingos have particular friends within the flock,” said Dr Paul Rose, from Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) and Exeter University’s Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour. ![]() ![]() It means that, despite its name, a flamboyance of flamingos will have its share of non-showy, submissive individuals huddling together away from their more uproarious associates. The flamingo may appear to be a bird of graceful insouciance, but when it comes to picking flock-mates, it is surprisingly choosy.īird experts have found that the pink waders form cliques with like-minded individuals within their group. ![]()
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