Greylag geese with similar personalities have higher hatching success rates, study finds

Birds of the same feather flock together, but strong pairing in geese has been shown to produce better breeding outcomes, a new study finds.

Focusing on a group of captive greylag geese, bird behaviour experts from the University of Vienna and Flinders University investigated the parental benefits of “match-made-in-heaven” unions between well-matched pairs.

“As in humans, the personality of both parents and their similar personality traits can influence their success as parents,” says Lauren Common, a PhD candidate at Flinders University, now based at the Konrad Lorenz Centre for Behaviour and Cognition at the University of Vienna in Austria.

“Pairs that successfully bond through similar boldness, including responding similarly to risky situations, may have higher hatching success. This bold parenting style can lead to consistency and responsiveness, which can translate into successful reproduction and survival of young and nestlings.”

In the new article published in the journal Animal behaviorThe researchers studied a flock of more than 100 habituated greylag geese over three breeding seasons, and breeding success and fledging of young was measured.

Professor Sonia Kleindorfer of the University of Vienna, founder of the BirdLab at Flinders University’s College of Science and Engineering, says the coordination of a bonded male and female pair is crucial during incubation, when thermal stability and protection from predators are crucial.

She says: “In species where parents are biparental and single-parental, reproductive output and success may be influenced not only by the personality of each individual, but also by the behavioral compatibility of the pair.

“This type of pair bonding in greylag geese is linked to their well-developed cognitive ability and social awareness, and individuals systematically differ in personality traits such as boldness, aggressiveness, sociability and other behavioral traits.”

Professor Kleindorfer says: “Animal personality was once considered a figment of human imagination and, even worse, an anthropomorphism.”

“This study adds to a growing body of work showing that animals such as greylag geese exhibit consistent individual differences in behavior, also known as personality,” she says.

“But more importantly, animal personality traits may be linked to relationship success and reproductive success. Therefore, these traits may be targets of natural and sexual selection.”