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Abstract
When flamingos rest, they typically lay their head on their back and curve their neck to either the right or left of their body, with both individual and population-level lateral preferences for rightward neck resting when preferences are tracked over time (Anderson, Williams, & O'Brien, 2009). The present study attempted to replicate these previous neck-resting preferences, to examine how they changed over time, and to examine the possibility of a relationship between lateral neck-resting preference and pair bonding in captive Caribbean flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) housed at the Philadelphia Zoo (Philadelphia, PA, USA). Results successfully replicated the individual- and population-level lateral preferences for rightward neck resting, and demonstrated that these preferences were stable over time. Moreover, individual flamingos that demonstrated stronger pair bond strengths tended to differ less from their partners in terms of neck-resting preference than did those birds displaying weaker pair bond strengths, suggesting a relationship between laterality and social cohesion.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Philadelphia Zoo for allowing the continued observation of their flamingos. In particular we express our thanks to Dr Aliza Baltz, Curator of Birds, who has provided much assistance during our studies. Gratitude is also owed to Dr Judith Chapman for her helpful suggestions over the course of this project, and to Lorraine Calabro for collecting some of the observations.