Gay and Lesbian birds are just as attached and faithful to each other as those paired with a member of the opposite sex.
The insight comes from a study of zebra finches – highly vocal, colourful birds that sing to their mates, a performance thought to strengthen the pair’s bond.
Scientists found that same-sex pairs of finches sang to and preened each other just like heterosexual pairs.
Bonded birds, Dr Elie explained, perch side by side, nestled together. They also greet each other by “nuzzling” beaks.
There are many other examples of same-sex pairing in the avian world.
In monogamous gulls and albatrosses, it gives females the chance to breed without a male partner.
“Female partners copulate with a paired male then rear the young together,” Dr Elie explained.
In captivity, there have been at least two cases of male penguins forming long-term bonds when there are females available.
Perhaps the most famous of these was two male chinstrap penguins in Manhattan’s Central Park Zoo, named Roy and Silo. They bonded and paid no attention to females in their enclosure for at least a year. They even built a nest together and incubated and hatched a fertilised egg donated to them by one of the keepers.
The Free 