It is always a point of some envy to observe some of the spectacular photographs being posted on Facebook by groups like the “Garden Route Birds”. They seem to have a spectacular mix of birds at each feeder (and secondly envy stems from the superior quality of their photographic skills). Even in our more humble circumstances, we get a super variety of garden birds, and often have three or more species at a single feeder.
Just recently, researchers in the UK have been investigating the social nature of birds, including feeding habits. Despite a comparatively small selection of targeted species, I believe they have conclusively proved that birds prefer feeding as a group including groupings beyond own species to feeding alone, or even compared to feeding in groups as a uniform species. This even when other birds are larger and may be able to be somewhat dominant.
The data is starting to indicate something even more interesting: birds have “friends” - a social grouping of a number of fellows with whom they not only co-exist, but become dependent. The level of social connection affects quality of life including food and condition (illnesses, parasites etc). The intriguing thing is that some birds have many friends (even bridging social groupings), and others have very few friends. One has to surmise that birds too have individual character even within a social species, and that some are extrovert, and others introvert. I believe this correlates with what one sees in caged companion birds.
Another amazing factoid: the bond between bird friends with fewer other associations (fewer friends) is stronger than the bond between the “extroverts” with many friends, and yet both personal character traits (facets) have advantages to the survival options of the individual birds. It also provides a “proof” to the age old concept of a “bush telegraph” – the birds with greater numbers of friends use these contacts to improve finding food sources. A heartwarming observation was that the bond between a breeding pair proved stronger than the feeding imperative.
Actually, the work has shown amazing commonality with human social networks including the new (rather artificial) networking system created by technologies like Facebook. Just as humans “pull together” in times of loss, birds compensate for lost friends by strengthening bonds with old friends, or establishing new friends within their network.
It appears that animals can teach us another reality too. Friendship among humans improves our health, makes better people of us, and can even increase longevity. Yet our LBJs knew that a long time ago.
