Badly matched birds make troubled parents.The troubles of parents who don't communicate well take a toll on their offspring--even among cockatiels. That's the conclusion of work by Rebecca Fox, now of the University of Nevada University of Nevada could refer to either of the universities in the Nevada System of Higher Education:
She let captive cockatiels choose mates and gauged how well matched each pair was, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a "personality" test of cockatiel cockatiel Crested, small, gray Australian parrot (Nymphicus hollandicus). It has a yellow head, red ear patches, and a heavy beak used to crack nuts. The cockatiel is in the same family (Cacatuidae) as the larger cockatoo. About 13 in. traits. Some birds seemed compatible, and others ended up very dissimilar. Nine of the pairs laid eggs and raised young, and Fox reported that the better-matched pairs tended to fledge fledge v. fledged, fledg·ing, fledg·es v.tr. 1. To take care of (a young bird) until it is ready to fly. 2. To cover with or as if with feathers. 3. more chicks. Fox analyzed how the parents managed a basic task: switching places at the nest. Sometimes the process went awry a·wry adv. 1. In a position that is turned or twisted toward one side; askew. 2. Away from the correct course; amiss. See Synonyms at amiss. , with both parents leaving the nest. In one case, both parents stayed away for 4 hours. The more-compatible pairs failed at changing the guard 15 percent of the time. The less-compatible pairs' failure rate was 80 percent. Biologists tend to emphasize the qualities of an individual animal in producing offspring, says Fox. She urges more attention to how well a pair functions as a unit. |
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