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#QueerAnimals

Dunnock: One Nest - Many Parents

Monogamy as the norm? Not for the dunnock. For these small birds, raising the chicks is what matters most.

Dunnocks have many different family setups. Sometimes one female mates with several males, sometimes one male mates with several females. In some nests, two or more males help care for the same chicks – even if only one of them may be the father. Because females mate with multiple partners, it is often unclear who the father is.

This is quite common in birds: many species do not live in strictly monogamous pairs.

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