Comments on: Same-Sex Finch Couples Form Strong Bonds

By: sex and pair bonding are not the same thing and why is this a surprise? | Tailfeather

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:44:52 +0000

[...] today and saw this article (Same-Sex Finch Couples Form Strong Bonds) mentioned over at Lilian’s [...]

By: gay finches partners for life « A Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online

gay finches partners for life « A Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:48:39 +0000

[...] by Lilian Nattel in Miscellany via blogs.smithsonianmag.com [...]

By: Quake hits the States & 30 years of music formats | Exit Strategy

Quake hits the States & 30 years of music formats | Exit Strategy — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:42:02 +0000

[...] 4. Mother nature. More gay than you might think [...]

By: Superkawaii

Superkawaii — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:34:07 +0000

@PaulErdos: Most creatures in the animal kingdom don’t have recreational sex because they don’t get enjoyment out of it. Often, it is a painful act.
The study deals with bonding, mates, and the fluidity of sexuality in finches. The article suggests parallels that might be drawn to human bonding.
In any case, the birds’ monogamous nature and the preference of some to stay with their same-sex partner may suggest that homosexuality can be influenced by environmental and non-environmental factors both?

By: PaulErdos

PaulErdos — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:55:21 +0000

Surprising? Hardly, Sarah.

Despite the best attempts of Sarah to convince us that homosex is normal, this feeble effort fails.

“Notso” brings up a good point–the article is strangely silent on this fact.

But, in any event, facultative same sex behavior has been known for a long time. Even in homo sap, we know that men in prisons substitute weaker, effiminate men for women.

It’s preferential, obligate homosexuality that is mysterious and exceedingly rare. The animals in the same-sex pairing still obeyed the biological imperative to reproduce. Homosexuals–as we understand the term–have no interest in heterosexual mating behavior. This is the evolutationary conundrum.

This piece, Sarah, is not an apples to apples comparison.

By: Rationale

Rationale — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:54:22 +0000

@ Lot and NotSo: The subject was same-sex “pair bonding,” not gay or straight birds. It happens throughout the animal kingdom… including humans. A bond does not require the sex act. It is safe for the both of you to bond to each no matter what your gender.

By: NotSo

NotSo — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:00:27 +0000

To compare to human same sex couples the key question is “did they have sex?” if not then it is more comparable to same sex friendship in humans than same sex coupling.

By: Sarah Zielinski

Sarah Zielinski — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:38:19 +0000

@Lot Yes, the scientists manipulated the situation in order to get the initial pairs (but the birds didn’t have to pair up, and not all of them did, just like real life). And when they introduced females, most of the guys in male-male couples paid no attention at all.

@Shoe The study didn’t go into details about that. Perhaps its the next step in this work.

By: Shoe

Shoe — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:21:07 +0000

In same sex pairings, do they see the male/female roles played out? Does one sing more to the other, or do males both sing to each other, and females don’t?

By: Lot

Lot — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:12:51 +0000

Doesn’t this prove that depriving these creatures of the opportunity to mate with the opposite sex facilitated same sex attraction? The birds didn’t have a choice.