Happy Pride Month! Learn about gay birds

Happy June, aka Pride Month, and also - my birthday month! 😀

To celebrate, I’ve prepared some fun facts about gay birds! (You can read a previoos post on gay flamingoes on my blog, too.)

But today, let’s read about… the Laysan Albatross!

These amazing birds are known for their long-lived monogamous relationships (and even longer lives!), where they mate with the same partner once a year for their entire lives. In fact, one particular bird, named Wisdom the Albatross, is over 70-years-old.

What’s even cooler?

In 2021, at 70 years of age, Wisdom the Laysan Albatross did something no-one has ever recorded before: she hatched a chick!

Regarded as “oldest known wild bird in history”, Wisdom has outlived several of her ex-husbands (aka her previous mating partners) as well as the very human who first banded her and began studying her life - the biologist Chandler Robbins, who first banded her in 1956, 66 whole years ago.

But here's the gay twist - their lifelong partners don't have to be of the opposite gender!

Biologist Lindsay C. Young made a groundbreaking discovery in 2008 when she found that 31% of Laysan albatross nests in Kaena Point, Hawaii were attended to by female-female couples - more than double the highest proportion of female-female pairing ever seen in any animal. This is a landmark case in the study of animal behavior.

Kaena Point, in Hawaii

But wait, it gets even more interesting!

These same-sex pairs of Laysan albatross do not necessarily copulate with each other. Instead, one female will mate with a male, while the other female returns to lay its egg in the nest they share. They then incubate their egg collaboratively, taking turns just like a female-male couple. In some cases, both females will even lay an egg, resulting in a phenomenon called "supernormal clutch," where the usual clutch size of one egg per nest is exceeded. In fact, 44% of the female-female pairs studied by Young experienced this unique situation.

Woah!

So why do these same-sex pairings occur?

Young believes it's due to the female-biased sex ratio at her study location. Because of female-dominated migration, 59% of Laysan albatross at Kaena Point were female, resulting in a shortage of male mates. This phenomenon, sometimes called "the prisoner effect," may spur animals towards homosexual behavior as an alternative reproductive strategy.

Other biologists suggest that the Laysan Albatross's behavior represents an alternative reproductive strategy" where females join forces with other females to avoid a complete loss of reproductive success in the absence of male mates.

That’s honestly really cool, and brings new meaning to the phrase and insult “Not if you were the last man on earth”. Lol.

But anyway, aren’t birds amazing?

The Laysan albatross is a prime example of how diverse and complex animal behavior can be, and there's still so much to learn. Who knows what other surprises the animal kingdom has in store for us? Keep exploring, nature enthusiasts!

And, did you know that many other different species of animals, just like humans, birds, and more, exhibit behavior that can be interpreted as homosexual or bisexual?

From same-sex courtship and affection to pair bonding and even parenting, animals all around the world and across different groups show these behaviors. In fact, over 450 species of animals worldwide have been documented engaging in same-sex behavior, including genital contact, in some form or another.

However, it's important to note that while homosexual behavior is common in the animal kingdom, it's relatively rare for animals to exclusively engage in same-sex activities.

But guess what? (And this is unrelated to birds) there IS one species that stands out - domesticated sheep!

Approximately 10% of male sheep, called rams, actually prefer mating with other rams instead of females, showing exclusive homosexual orientation. :O Isn't nature just full of surprises?

Why is Pride Month so important? 🏳️‍🌈🎉

Pride Month honours those who were part of the most important gay rights protests and is a reminder that Pride can still fight for our rights. It wasn't until 1999 that June officially became Pride Month in the USA. It has since grown into a massive celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Nature is a wonderful example of diversity. Just like how birds come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, so do people. And just like how birds thrive in their unique habitats, LGBTQ+ individuals thrive when they are embraced and accepted for who they are. Pride Month is a way to celebrate this diversity and promote a world where everyone can be proud of who they are!

And as nature lovers, we should celebrate acceptance and diversity, and not try to change a creature from what they were born to be.

So, let's join in the celebration and spread love, kindness, and acceptance in nature and beyond! Happy Pride Month, everyone! 🌈🌿🐦