Parenting in barn owls is actually quite similar to our own: a study published in iScience explains how Tyto alba organises itself to raise its brood on the Swiss Plateau. Using miniature sensors fitted to around seventy pairs, the researchers closely tracked their comings and goings and revealed a constant negotiation between the two parents, with flexible cooperation that adjusts according to the night, the hunt and the conditions. Each parent adapts their effort, and the female can increase hers when the male brings back less, to the point of ensuring the essentials for the chicks’ survival.
The result: the more effectively the parents cooperate, the faster the young gain independence when they fledge.
With Alexandre Roulin, biologist and professor at the University of Lausanne, the study’s last author.