Building Nest Behavior in Lovebirds

What does the behavior of different lovebird species when building nests demonstrate?

A. Genetic control over nest construction

B. Dominance of Fisher's lovebird in constructing nests

C. Environmental adaptations

Answer:

The observation clearly shows that certain behaviors are genetically controlled.

When observing the behavior of different lovebird species when building nests, we can see a fascinating pattern that sheds light on genetic control over nest construction. In the case of Fisher's lovebird, the female bird cuts long strips of vegetation to carry to the nest site one at a time in her beak. On the other hand, the female peach-faced lovebird cuts short strips and carries them to the nest tucked under her back feathers. The hybrid female offspring of these two species cut intermediate-sized strips and attempt to tuck them under their back feathers before carrying them in their beak.

This behavior demonstrates that the length of strips cut by the birds for nest building is under genetic control. The distinct patterns observed in each species suggest that there are specific genetic instructions that influence how the birds go about constructing their nests. The fact that the offspring of the hybrid females exhibit an intermediate behavior further supports the idea that these nest-building behaviors are inherited.