Birds: “We’re not shallow like that.”

Exciting week for ornithologists (if such a thing really exists): landmark study finds female birds seek male partners with similar personalities.

New research suggests that some birds consider personality traits when choosing their mates. In a study of zebra finches, scientists found that curious female birds tended to choose male birds of a similar disposition. In their experiment, they put female birds in new environments and created a "personality profile" for them based on their interactions with new objects. They then allowed these female birds to be voyeurs, who watched male birds explore new objects in pairs. When the birds were allowed to mingle, the exploratory females were far more likely to chase the exploratory males. Reports claim this is the first non-human animal found to consider non-sexual traits of potential partners in mating decisions. Meanwhile, bird lovers are tweeting that a new species of bird was discovered this week and another study found that "gay" birds were just as likely to stay faithful to their partners as "heterosexual" birds.