(The most social) bird of the year: why superb fairy-wren societies may be as complex as our own [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

January 9, 2022 9.02pm EST

One mystery many biologists want to solve is how complexity develops in nature. And among the many social systems in the natural world, multilevel societies stand out for their complexity. Individuals first organise into families, which are members of bands, which are organised into clans.

At each level, associations between components (individuals, families and clans) are structured and stable. In other words, individuals within families usually stay together, and families usually interact with other specific families in a predictable way, to form stable clans.

Such social organisation has probably characterised much of human evolution (and is still common among many hunter-gatherer societies around the world).

In fact, multilevel societies likely played a fundamental role in human history, by accelerating our cultural evolution. Organising into distinct social groups would have reduced the transmission of cultures and allowed for multiple traditions to coexist.

More:
https://theconversation.com/the-most-social-bird-of-the-year-why-superb-fairy-wren-societies-may-be-as-complex-as-our-own-171494



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‘Tiny little balls of pure joy’: why the superb fairywren took our 2021 Australian bird of the year

With their glorious blue plumage, these common urban birds have been a comfort while we’ve been at home during the pandemic

Angela Heathcote
Fri 8 Oct 2021 15.00 EDT



‘The way they hop around with their tails aloft, it gives them attitude and makes them seem cheeky.’ A superb fairywren. Photograph: Auscape/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Angela Heathcote
Fri 8 Oct 2021 15.00 EDT

The Guardian/BirdLife Australia 2021 bird of the year poll ended with the superb fairywren coming out on top.

While at first the victory had me crying “beauty contest!”, it speaks to our desire for small moments of joy in our daily life, as we’re restricted to the confines of our own homes.

Superb fairywrens, with their glorious blue plumage, can be seen darting between the dense shrubbery in the gardens and parks of almost every Australian capital city.

For the superb fairywren voter and urban ecologist Kylie Soanes, they’ve been a comfort throughout the pandemic.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of the posts on Twitter saying ‘Oh it’s a common bird. Why couldn’t something more special win? They’re not even the best fairywren’,” Soanes says. “But they’re these tiny little balls of pure joy that have managed to hang on in our cities and delight as they flutter past you on your way to work or you see them hopping around a train station. They’re always busy.”

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/09/tiny-little-balls-of-pure-joy-why-the-superb-fairywren-took-out-2021-bird-of-the-year