Superb starlings swap helper and breeder roles with kin and non-kin
Nature, Published online: 07 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01374-8A 20-year field study of the African superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus) found striking evidence that birds often switch breeding roles from year to year by taking turns as ‘breeders’ or each other’s ‘helpers’. This reciprocal assistance was not explained by genetic relatedness (kinship) and required decades of observation to be detected.
Nature, Published online: 07 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01374-8A 20-year field study of the African superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus) found striking evidence that birds often switch breeding roles from year to year by taking turns as ‘breeders’ or each other’s ‘helpers’. This reciprocal assistance was not explained by genetic relatedness (kinship) and required decades of observation to be detected.
