wrote:

It鈥檚 not all love in the avian world, where divorce, child abandonment and marrying up are part of everyday life.

, to be published in Canada this week, dispels the lovebird myth that birds pair up for life, and paints a picture instead that includes adultery and the pursuit of comfort.

鈥淚n terms of top 10 myths about birds, the permanent pair bonds that we think about, that does occur for some birds, but for most of the little songbirds that we studied, no,鈥� said Stutchbury.

The book draws on 20 years of research from radio tracking and DNA testing and shows male Acadian flycatchers fertilizing females far away from their home nests, and female blue-headed vireos premeditating divorce by checking out new mates before they abandon their young.

Stutchbury, who has studied dozens of songbird species in Canada, the United States and Panama, said shorter summers may drive females to leave their nests before their young are fully fledged so they can quickly find new mates and lay more eggs. That leaves the males to feed the hungry chicks on their own.

Males can triple or quadruple their reproductive success by fertilizing neighbouring females, but only 鈥渕ates鈥� care for the young, and some are none the wiser. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 tell when the egg hatches whether it鈥檚 theirs or not,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey have no way to know.鈥�

Divorce is surprisingly common among birds, and most live with one partner for only a few months or years. Divorce rates range from 99 per cent in the greater flamingo to zero in the wandering albatross.

The wrote:

Who knew birds could be so bad?

A new book from Bridget Stutchbury shows they cheat on each other, and their relationships often end in divorce. As well, some parent birds favour one offspring over another. 鈥淭here are a number of theories about why birds go their separate ways,鈥� Stutchbury said in a release about her book The Bird Detective.

鈥淥ne hypothesis is that birds that are genetically or behaviourally incompatible separate when both can benefit from finding a new partner.鈥� Another theory is birds, like humans, realize they can do better: One initiates divorce for selfish gain, leaving its former partner high and dry.

The 91亚色 biology professor 鈥� who was a 2007 Governor General鈥檚 Literary Award for Non-Fiction finalist for her book Silence of the Songbirds 鈥� and post-doctoral student Bonnie Wolfenden looked at how female Acadian flycatchers were being fertilized by neighbouring males who lived hundreds of metres away.

鈥淲e had the genetic evidence of their infidelity, but we never did catch a female sneaking away from its nest. It turned out to be the males making clandestine visits to the females,鈥� Stutchbury said.

Stutchbury, who is among 91亚色's Distinguished Research Professors, is a faculty member in the in 91亚色鈥檚 . She holds a .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer, with files courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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In , Bridget Stutchbury roams forests and jungles studying the sexual antics and social lives of birds, and details the science behind their surprisingly sophisticated and often amusing behavior. The book, published by , hits shelves April 16.

Stutchbury, a and a professor in the Department of Biology in 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Science & Engineering, also explains how understanding birds鈥� behaviour will help to conserve increasingly-threatened species.

Using radio-tracking technology, Stutchbury and 91亚色 post-doctoral student Bonnie Wolfenden solved a mystery that had puzzled biologists: how were female Acadian flycatchers getting fertilized by neighbouring males who lived hundreds of metres away?

鈥淲e had the genetic evidence of their infidelity, but we never did catch a female sneaking away from its nest. It turned out to be the males making clandestine visits to the females,鈥� Stutchbury says.

Divorce is a regular part of life for almost all birds; most live with one partner for only a few months or years, depending on the species. Annual divorce rates range from 99 percent in the Greater Flamingo to zero in the Wandering Albatross.

鈥淭here are a number of theories about why birds go their separate ways,鈥� Stutchbury says. 鈥淥ne hypothesis is that birds that are genetically or behaviourally incompatible separate when both can benefit from finding a new partner.鈥� Another theory is that birds, like humans, realize they can do better: one pair member initiates divorce for selfish gain, leaving its former partner high and dry.

Left: Bridget Stutchbury

As in humans, divorce can take its toll on offspring, creating a situation where one partner is left to care for eggs or young. 鈥淚n the worst-case scenario, birds may abandon the breeding attempt and leave the offspring to die in favour of starting over with a new, better partner,鈥� Stutchbury says.

Birds are also known to exhibit favouritism when it comes to their young. They must invest more effort into raising sons, as males are larger and require more food.

鈥淲e see birds providing extra food and care to one gender of offspring over another, depending on environmental circumstances,鈥� says Stutchbury. In ye

ars where food is plentiful, some birds may raise male hatchlings exclusively.

In The Bird Detective, Stutchbury also gives a first-hand account of how she and her team became the first researchers in the world to track migratory songbirds from breeding to wintering grounds. Last winter, she published a paper in the journal showing the tiny birds鈥� astonishing speed in migration, finding that they fly three times faster than previously suspected.

Stutchbury emphasizes that these aspects of behaviour aren鈥檛 mere curiosities: they鈥檙e crucial puzzle pieces that will help researchers protect birds from threats like climate change, habitat destruction, and other environmental concerns.

鈥淭here鈥檚 truly a pressing need for behavioural research 鈥� otherwise there鈥檚 no way for us to know how to best protect species.鈥�

A book launch for The Bird Detective will take place Thursday April 29, at 7:30pm at .

Stutchury is also the author of , which was a finalist for the .

By Melissa Hughes, media relations officer, with photos courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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