RITA COVAS’ RESEARCH ON SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR HIGHLIGHTED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PORTUGAL MAGAZINE

It is known that almost 9% of bird species and 5% of mammal species breed cooperatively, with non-reproducing ‘helpers’ assisting the breeding pair. This intriguing characteristic has hooked CIBIO-InBIO researcher Rita Covas, who has dedicated her research to understanding the benefits of sociality amongst sociable weavers, a small bird from the Kalahari, for the last two decades.
Trying to understand the dynamics and benefits of this cooperative relationship between the different elements of this bird community is one of the main objectives of the work, which called the attention of National Geographic Portugal Magazine. According to Rita, “cooperation does not imply absence of competition. Understanding which are the advantages and how this cooperation actually works is our main goal. Sociable weavers do not help each other just for being nice, they have evolutionary benefits”.
This work has already allowed to gather impressive amounts of data, standing as one of the most complex long-term studies in the Kalahari and opening new avenues for research on this fascinating feature of animal behaviour.

To know more about this topic, please follow the link below:
“Cientista portuguesa desvenda segredos do Kalahari “ | Natonal Geographic Portugal Magazine | March 2017 (Information available in Portuguese)