Overview
- Researchers observed wild-caught monk parakeets in a large flight pen and analyzed more than 179 relationships using computational and statistical models.
- Unfamiliar birds approached each other cautiously at first, then typically moved from sharing space to perching together, touching beaks, and grooming.
- Some pairs advanced further as trust grew, eventually sharing food or mating.
- Careful approaches help manage risk because unwanted attention can trigger mild aggression or “quarreling,” creating a possibility of injury.
- The findings, published in Biology Letters by Claire L. O’Connell, Gerald G. Carter, Annemarie van der Marel and Elizabeth A. Hobson, parallel a 2020 study showing similar stepwise bonding in vampire bats.