2024/05/20 by Claudia A. F. Wascher, Friederike Hillemann · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · Psychology · #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Primate Behavior and Ecology #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105055
openalex publication_date 2024/05/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
In the biological sciences, sexual behaviours in non-human animals are traditionally investigated in the context of reproduction and direct fitness benefits. While the evolutionary functions of non-conceptive sexual behaviours ('socio-sexual behaviours') remain less well explored, these interactions and displays have been suggested to be important for shaping and maintaining social relationships. Here, we report an observation of a captive female carrion crow, Corvus corone corone, mounting her co-housed male partner. We highlight the importance of more systematic research, reporting, and discussions of rarely observed behaviours in social evolution research, including considerations for behaviours that transcend binary or heteronormative frameworks, for a more comprehensive understanding of non-conceptive socio-sexual behaviours.