Earwig-oh, earwig-oh: birds ‘behave like football fans’

Rival groups of birds behave like football fans, shouting chants at each other and commiserating with each other after a loss, research from Bristol University revealed on Wednesday.

Green woodhoopoes, which originate from South Africa, live together in gangs of up to 12 and “rival groups often engage in raucous vocal displays, akin to opposing football supporters chanting at one another”, the university said.

The research by Dr Andy Radford, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B, also revealed that the birds preen each other after a conflict, particularly when they have just lost or the battle lasted a long time.

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Tagged as: Andy Radford, Birds, Bristol University, Football, Green Woodhoopoes, South Africa, Woodhoopoes

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