November 5, 20242 min readCulture may play a role in how birds build collectively in the Kalahari DesertBy Gennaro TommaWhite-browed Sparrow-Weaver nests and roosts. Wolfgang Kaehler/Alamy Stock PhotoFrom long and winding migration flights to intricate songs and clever tool use, many bird behaviors are known to be transmitted socially and persist across generations—what scientists define as animal “culture.” Now a study suggests culture might play a role in avian architecture, too.Researchers analyzed more than 400 structures built by 43 different groups of White-browed Sparrow-Weavers in the Kalahari Desert in southern…
