Chickadees, titmice and nuthatches flocking together benefit from a diversity bonus – so do other animals, including humans

By Todd M. Freeberg, Professor and Associate Head of Psychology, University of Tennessee

Carolina chickadees are small, boisterous year-round residents of the southeastern United States. They are regularly found with much larger tufted titmice, white-breasted nuthatches and various woodpecker species.

In these mixed flocks, chickadees are almost always the subordinate individuals, outcompeted by their larger flockmates. Why, then, do chickadees regularly join these flocks? Might they have a symbiotic relationship with other species in these flocks?

I study animal behavior…

Read complete article

~	How visas for social care workers may be exacerbating exploitation in the sector

~	Why the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service should be designated as a provincial police service

~	Detaining migrants in prisons violates human rights and risks abuses

~	Granting legal ‘personhood’ to nature is a growing movement – can it stem biodiversity loss?

~	Friday essay: Project 2025, the policy substance behind Trump’s showmanship, reveals a radical plan to reshape the world

~	Longer-lasting ozone holes over Antarctica expose seal pups and penguin chicks to much more UV

~	New rock art discoveries in Eastern Sudan tell a tale of ancient cattle, the ‘green Sahara’ and climate catastrophe

~	Will checking character references really help you find the best candidate for a job?

~	China’s money only goes so far – Kokoda shows why history binds PNG and Australia in a far deeper way

~	We spoke to young people about sexual consent. They understand the concept, but don’t always ask in the moment