Same-gender mating in the animal kingdom is more common that we think

CANBERA - Two Australian male emus have set up a nest together, confounding experts who said Friday they did not know if the birds were homosexual, confused, or just being plain practical.

The two adult males have shacked up to care for a clutch of seven chicks in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, south of Canberra. While wildlife officers are not yet convinced the males are homosexual, they can offer no explanation for the surprising move.

"It's unusual for a male to adopt chicks that aren't their own, but the two males have paired up and are getting along very well," said wildlife officer and acting manager of Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Geoff Underwood.

"One male is very accommodating -- normally he would chase any other emu away from the chicks."

Male emus normally take over rearing their young after female partners lay the eggs, protecting their babies from the outside world and especially other males. But Underwood said the pairing of two males was the first of its kind in the 25 years he had worked in the area.

"It's a bit of a mystery," he said. "It is normally a sole male role but it appears they are moving away from single-parent families. It is an ultra-modern family, but I don't think they are homosexual. The other male is just confused."

© AFP

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