New Study Reveals Animals Form Long-Term Friendships, Just Like Humans

A groundbreaking study led by Alexis Earl and Professor Dustin Rubenstein provides strong evidence that African starlings engage in reciprocal helping, cooperating with both relatives and unrelated individuals, SciTech Daily reported.

Over 20 years of research on these birds in East African savannahs revealed that starlings form long-term helping relationships based on mutual exchange, similar to friendships.

While starlings preferentially aid their kin to boost genetic fitness, the study found many instances where birds consistently helped non-relatives, even when relatives were available. The researchers analyzed thousands of interactions and genetic data collected from 2002 to 2021, confirming that reciprocity extends beyond family ties.

Rubenstein emphasized that starling societies are complex, containing related and unrelated members living together, much like human communities. This research adds to decades of work on animal social behavior across diverse species worldwide.

The findings suggest reciprocal helping may be widespread in animal societies but requires long-term observation to detect, opening new avenues for understanding cooperation in the natural world.