For these birds, there is documented evidence of

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

behavior in one or more of the following kinds:

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, oft ...

, courtship,

affection Affection or fondness is a "disposition or state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love. It has given rise to a number of branches of philosophy and psychology concerning emotion, disease, influence, and sta ...

, pair bonding, or parenting, as noted in researcher and author Bruce Bagemihl's 1999 book ''Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity''. According to Bagemihl, animal sexual behavior takes many different forms, even within the same species and the motivations for and implications of their behaviors have yet to be fully understood. Bagemihl's research shows that homosexual behavior, not necessarily

, has been documented in about 500 species as of 1999, ranging from

primates Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

to gut worms.Bagemihl (1999)Harrold (1999)

Homosexuality in animals Various non-human animal species exhibit behavior that can be interpreted as homosexual or bisexual. This may include same-sex sexual activity, courtship, affection, pair bonding, and parenting among same-sex animal pairs.Braithwaite, L. W., "E ...

is seen as controversial by

social conservatives Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social instituti ...

because it asserts the naturalness of homosexuality in humans, while others counter that it has no implications and is nonsensical to equate animal behavior to morality.Solimeo (2004)Solimeo (2004b) Animal preference and motivation is always inferred from behavior. Thus homosexual behavior has been given a number of terms over the years. The correct usage of the term ''homosexual'' is that an animal ''exhibits homosexual behavior'', however this article conforms to the usage by modern research applying the term ''homosexuality'' to all sexual behavior (

copulation Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...

, genital stimulation, mating games and sexual

display behavior Display behaviour is a set of ritualized behaviours that enable an animal to communicate to other animals (typically of the same species) about specific stimuli. These ritualized behaviours can be visual however many animals depend on a mixture ...

) between animals of the same sex. This list is part of a larger list of animals displaying homosexual behavior including

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s, insects, fish etc.

Selected images

Image:Sunken Gardens Chilean flamingoes.jpg, Chilean flamingoes eating, drinking, and preening in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

; flamingos (as well as

penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

s and other species) sometimes form committed same-sex relationships that can involve

, traveling and living together, and raising young together.Kick (2001) Image:Coq de roche.jpg, Male Guianan cock-of-the-rock, distributed in the mountainous regions of

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, eastern

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, southern Venezuela,

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

, French Guiana and northern Amazonian Brazil, "delight in homosexuality" with almost 40 percent engaging in a form of homosexual activity and a small percentage never

copulating Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetra ...

with females.Bagemihl (1999) page 566-569Imaginova (2007i) Image:Black Swans.jpg, The

black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon c ...

, ''Cygnus atratus'' is a large waterbird which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. An estimated one-quarter of all black swans pairings are homosexual and they steal nests, or form temporary threesomes with females to obtain eggs, driving away the female after she lays the eggs.Goudarzi (2006)Imaginova (2007f)

Birds

* Acorn woodpeckerBagemihl (1999) pages 644-7 * Adelie penguin365 Gay.com (2005) * American flamingoBagemihl (1999) pages 524-7 *

American herring gull The American herring gull or Smithsonian gull (''Larus smithsonianus'' or ''Larus argentatus smithsonianus'') is a large gull that breeds in North America, where it is treated by the American Ornithological Society as a subspecies of herring gull ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 552-6 *

Anna's hummingbird Anna's hummingbird (''Calypte anna'') is a medium-sized bird species of the family Trochilidae. It was named after Anna Masséna, Duchess of Rivoli. It is native to western coastal regions of North America. In the early 20th century, Anna's hu ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 640-3 *

Australian shelduck The Australian shelduck (''Tadorna tadornoides''), also known as the chestnut-breasted shelduck or mountain duck, is a shelduck, a group of large goose-like ducks part of the bird family Anatidae. The genus name ''Tadorna'' comes from Celtic root ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 496-500 * Aztec parakeetBagemihl (1999) pages 650-5 * Bengalese finch (domestic) * Bank swallowBagemihl (1999) pages 583-6 *

Barn owl The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 632-5 * Bearded vulturePoiani (2010) page 47 * Bicolored antbirdBagemihl (1999) pages 575-7 *

Black-billed magpie The black-billed magpie (''Pica hudsonia''), also known as the American magpie, is a bird in the corvid family found in the western half of North America. It is black and white, with black areas on the wings and tail showing iridescent hints o ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 606-10 * Black-Capped ChickadeeBagemihl (1999) *

Black-crowned night heron The black-crowned night heron (''Nycticorax nycticorax''), or black-capped night heron, commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and N ...

* Black-headed gullBagemihl (1999) pages 556-9 *

Black-rumped flameback The black-rumped flameback (''Dinopium benghalense''), also known as the lesser golden-backed woodpecker or lesser goldenback, is a woodpecker found widely distributed in the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the few woodpeckers that are seen in ...

* Black stiltBagemihl (1999) pages 536-9 *

Black swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon c ...

Goudarzi (2006) * Black-winged stilt *

Blue-backed manakin The blue-backed manakin (''Chiroxiphia pareola'') is a small passerine bird which breeds in tropical South America, its range extending from Colombia and Tobago to southeastern Brazil. It is found in deciduous forests but not evergreen rainforest ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 572-4 *

Blue-bellied roller The blue-bellied roller (''Coracias cyanogaster'') is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across Africa in a narrow belt from Senegal to northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is resident, apart from some local seasonal m ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 647-9 * Blue crowned conureBagemihl (1999) pages 594-7 * Blue tit * Blue-winged tealBagemihl (1999) pages 491-5 * Brown-headed cowbirdBagemihl (1999) pages 602-5 * Budgerigar (domestic) *

Buff-breasted sandpiper The buff-breasted sandpiper (''Calidris subruficollis'') is a small wader, shorebird. The species name ''subruficollis'' is from Latin ''subrufus'', "reddish" (from ''sub'', "somewhat", and ''rufus'', "rufous") and ''collis'', "-necked/-throated" ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 528-32 * Calfbird * California gullBagemihl (1999) pages 544-8 *

Canada goose The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 483-7 * Canary-winged parakeet * Caspian ternBagemihl (1999) pages 563-5 *

Cattle egret The cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Bubulcus'', although some authorities regard it ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 514-7 *

Cockatiel The cockatiel (; ''Nymphicus hollandicus''), also known as weiro (also spelt weero), or quarrion, is a medium-sized parrot that is a member of its own branch of the cockatoo family endemic to Australia. They are prized as household pets and comp ...

* Common chaffinchBagemihl (1999) pages 591-3 * Chicken * Chilean flamingo * Chiloe wigeon * Chinstrap penguinSmith (February 7, 2004)] *

Cliff swallow The cliff swallow or American cliff swallow (''Petrochelidon pyrrhonota'') is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae, the swallows and martins. The generic name ''Petrochelidon'' is derived from Ancient Greek ''petros'' meaning "roc ...

* Common gull * Common murreBagemihl (1999) pages 501-5 * Common redshank *

Common shelduck The common shelduck (''Tadorna tadorna'') is a waterfowl species of the shelduck genus, ''Tadorna''. It is widespread and common in the Euro-Siberian region of the Palearctic, mainly breeding in temperate and wintering in subtropical regions; i ...

* Crane spp.Bagemihl (1999) pages 518-22 * Dusky moorhen * Domesticated turkeyBagemihl (1999) pages 82, 90 * Eastern bluebird * Egyptian goose *

Elegant parrot The elegant parrot (''Neophema elegans'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Australia. Naming and taxonomy The elegant parrot was called ''carteri'', ''bilgir'', or ''koolyederong'' by Aboriginal peoples. Its E ...

Emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...

Bagemihl (1999) page 621-6 * Eurasian oystercatcher * European jay * European shagBagemihl (1999) pages 506-8 *

Galah The galah (; ''Eolophus roseicapilla''), also known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, is the only species within genus ''Eolophus'' of the cockatoo family. Found throughout Australia, it is among the most common of the co ...

* Gentoo penguin * Golden bishop birdBagemihl (1999) pages 600 * Golden ploverBagemihl (1999) pages 539-43 * Gray-capped social weaverBagemihl (1999) pages 598-601 * Grey heron * Great cormorant *

Greater bird of paradise The greater bird-of-paradise (''Paradisaea apoda'') is a bird-of-paradise in the genus ''Paradisaea''. Carl Linnaeus named the species ''Paradisaea apoda'', or "legless bird-of-paradise", because early trade-skins to reach Europe were prepared w ...

Bagemihl (1999) page 613 * Greater flamingo * Greater rhea * Green cheek conure * Green sandpiperBagemihl (1999) pages 534, 535 * GreenshankBagemihl (1999) pages 533-536 * Greylag gooseBagemihl (1999), page 479-482 * Griffon vulture * Guianan cock-of-the-rock * Guillemot *

Hammerhead Hammerhead may refer to: * The head of a hammer Fiction * Hammerhead (comics), a Marvel Comics foe of Spider-Man * ''Hammerhead'' (film), a 1968 film based on the novel by James Mayo * '' Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy'' a 2005 TV movie starring ...

(also known as hammerkop)Bagemihl (1999), page 522-524 * Herring gull * Hoary-headed grebeBagemihl (1999) pages 509-10 *

Hooded warbler The hooded warbler (''Setophaga citrina'') is a New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America and across the eastern United States and into southernmost Canada (Ontario). It is migratory, wintering in Central America and the West Indies. ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 587-590 *

House sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, a ...

* Humboldt penguin *

Ivory gull The ivory gull (''Pagophila eburnea'') is a small gull, the only species in the genus ''Pagophila''. It breeds in the high Arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through Greenland, northernmost North America, and Eurasia. Taxonomy The ivory ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 560-562 * Jackdaw * Kestrel * King penguin * KittiwakeBagemihl (1999) pages 548-552 * Laughing gull *

Laysan albatross The Laysan albatross (''Phoebastria immutabilis'') is a large seabird that ranges across the North Pacific. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to 99.7% of the population. This small (for its family) gull-like albatross is the second-most ...

* Lesser flamingo * Lesser scaup duck * Little blue heron * Little egret * Long-tailed hermit hummingbird *

Lory Loriini is a tribe of small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The species form a monophyletic group within the ...

spp. *

Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

Masked lovebird The yellow-collared lovebird (''Agapornis personatus''), also called masked lovebird, black-masked lovebird or eye ring lovebird, is a monotypic species of bird of the lovebird genus in the parrot family Psittaculidae. They are native to Arusha R ...

* Mealy amazon parrot * Mew gull * Mexican jayBagemihl (1999) page 232, 609-610 * Musk duck *

Mute swan The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 487-491 *

Ocellated antbird The ocellated antbird (''Phaenostictus mcleannani'') is a species of antbird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Phaenostictus'' and is found in southern Central America and the northwestern part of South America. Its ...

* Ocher-bellied flycatcherBagemihl (1999) pages 141-142, 577-579 * Orange bishop bird *

Orange-fronted parakeet The orange-fronted parakeet or orange-fronted conure (''Eupsittula canicularis''), also known as the half-moon conure, is a medium-sized parrot that is resident from western Mexico to Costa Rica. Taxonomy The orange-fronted parakeet was Species ...

Ornate lorikeet The ornate lorikeet (''Saudareos ornata''), sometimes named the ornate lory, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the Sulawesi archipelago in Indonesia.Coates, B. J., & K. D. Bishop (1997). ''A Guide to the Birds ...

* Ostrich * Peach-faced lovebird * Pied flycatcherBagemihl (1999) page 596 * Pied kingfisher * Pigeon (domestic)Bagemihl (1999) pages 486, 663 * Powerful owlBagemihl (1999) page 634 *

Purple swamphen The purple swamphen has been split into the following species: * Western swamphen, ''Porphyrio porphyrio'', southwest Europe and northwest Africa * African swamphen, ''Porphyrio madagascariensis'', sub-Saharan continental Africa and Madagascar * Gr ...

* Raggiana's bird of paradiseBagemihl (1999) pages 611-614 *

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

* Razorbill * Red-backed shrike * Red bishop bird * Red-faced lovebird * Red-shouldered widowbirdBagemihl (1999) page 601 * Regent bowerbirdBagemihl (1999) pages 614-616 * Ring-billed gull * Ring doveBagemihl (1999) page 639 * Rock doveBagemihl (1999) page 639 *

Roseate tern The roseate tern (''Sterna dougallii'') is a species of tern in the family Laridae. The genus name ''Sterna'' is derived from Old English "stearn", "tern", and the specific ''dougallii'' refers to Scottish physician and collector Dr Peter McDoug ...

Rose-ringed parakeet The rose-ringed parakeet (''Psittacula krameri''), also known as the ring-necked parakeet (more commonly known as the Indian ringneck parrot), is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula, of the family Psittacidae. It has disjunct native ran ...

Ruff Ruff may refer to: Places *Ruff, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community *Ruff, Washington, United States, an unincorporated community Other uses *Ruff (bird) (''Calidris pugnax'' or ''Philomachus pugnax''), a bird in the wader fami ...

* Ruffed grouseBagemihl (1999) pages 636-639 *

Sage grouse Sage-grouse are grouse belonging to the bird genus ''Centrocercus.'' The genus includes two species: the Gunnison grouse (''Centrocercus minimus'') and the greater sage-grouse (''Centrocercus urophasianus''). These birds are distributed through ...

* San Blas jay *

Sand martin The sand martin (''Riparia riparia''), also known as the bank swallow (in the Americas), collared sand martin, or common sand martin, is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family. It has a wide range in summer, embracing practically the w ...

* Satin bowerbirdBagemihl (1999) page 616 * Scarlet ibis *

Scottish crossbill The Scottish crossbill (''Loxia scotica'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, and is the only terrestrial vertebrate species endemic to the United Kingdom. The Scottish ...

Seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

Senegal parrot The Senegal parrot (''Poicephalus senegalus'') is a parrot which is a resident breeder across a wide range of west Africa. It makes migrations within west Africa, according to the availability of the fruit, seeds and blossoms which make up its ...

* Sharp-tailed sparrowBagemihl (1999) page 604 * Silver gull * Silvery grebe * Snow goose *

Stitchbird The stitchbird or hihi (''Notiomystis cincta'') is a honeyeater-like bird endemic to the North Island and adjacent offshore islands of New Zealand. Its evolutionary relationships have long puzzled ornithologists, but it is now classed as the ...

Poiani (2010) page 49 * Superb lyrebirdBagemihl (1999) pages 617-620 *

Swallow-tailed manakin The blue manakin or swallow-tailed manakin (''Chiroxiphia caudata'') is a small species of bird in the family Pipridae. It is found mainly in the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay and far north-eastern Argentina. Its typic ...

Tasmanian native hen The Tasmanian nativehen (''Tribonyx mortierii'') (palawa kani: piyura) (alternate spellings: Tasmanian native-hen or Tasmanian native hen) is a flightless rail and one of twelve species of birds endemic to the Australian island of Tasmania. Alth ...

Tree swallow The tree swallow (''Tachycineta bicolor'') is a migratory bird of the family Hirundinidae. Found in the Americas, the tree swallow was first described in 1807 by French ornithologist Louis Vieillot as ''Hirundo bicolor''. It has since been mov ...

Bagemihl (1999) pages 580-3 * Trumpeter swanBagemihl (1999) page 489 *

Victoria's riflebird Victoria's riflebird (''Lophorina victoriae''), also known as the lesser riflebird, Queen Victoria riflebird, Queen Victoria's riflebird, or Victoria riflebird, is a bird-of-paradise endemic to the Atherton Tableland region of northeastern Queens ...

* Wattled starling * Western gullSmith (February 7, 2004) * White-fronted amazon parrot * White storkBagemihl (1999) pages 206, 232 * Wood duck * Yellow-backed lorikeet * Yellow-rumped caciqueBagemihl (1999) page 232 * Zebra finch (domestic)Bagemihl (1999) pages 81, 85, 101, 150, 156

Bibliography

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Birds Displaying Homosexual Behavior

Birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

Homosexual behavior, birds

Homosexual behavior Homosexuality is Romance (love), romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romant ...

Avian sexuality

Selected images

Birds

See also

Bibliography

Notes