Among golden-crowned sparrows, a false crown only fools strangers

(University of California - Santa Cruz) Scientists studying winter flocks of golden-crowned sparrows at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum have discovered surprisingly complex social behavior in these small migratory birds. A new study reveals that the sparrows have different ways to assess dominance status depending on whether the interaction is with a familiar bird or a stranger.

Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 25, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: news