🪶 Birds masturbate. 🦜 This is normal, and not (as often is believed) a maladaptive behaviour only found in captivity. 🍑 Pet bird owners - chill, and let your budgie have some fun. 🧪 Study of masturbation in 120 bird species, by @matildabrindle.bsky.social: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Masturbation in pet birds is natural and shouldn't be punished. A new study led by @unilancashire.bsky.social and coauthored by Oxford's  @matildabrindle.bsky.social  say vets and owners should be reassured that it is not the consequence of captivity, but common.  Read more:

Birds masturbate, and that’s perfectly normal 🐦 Our piece in The Conversation is out now about our latest research, the evolution of masturbation in birds: theconversation.com/birds-mastur...

Birds masturbate? What?! Our research, published in Ecology and Evolution is out now, and featured today in The Guardian 🌟