Submitted by Dolltime on October 2, 2014 - 10:58pm
As a general rule Birds mate for life, and it seems, like us, play 'Happy Families'. But all is not what it seems. While Hubby bird is away gathering twigs for the nest and playing provider, the Mrs is busy with 'Other Things'. Yep, Non-Paternity or misattributed paternity (as it is called where offspring are not related to the male in a pair bond) varies between 17 to 75% among the different species of birds. Not only are female birds promiscuous, they also give their illicit chicks preferential treatment with 75% offspring from the 'extra pair matings' being produced in the first half of the egg clutch.
Believe it or not 'Birds' of the human variety are not so different - raising the possible question "Who's your Daddy"?
