Battle Of The Birds

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RIVAL groups of birds behave like football fans, shouting chants at each other and commiserating after a loss, research from England's University of Bristol has revealed.

Green woodhoopoes, a South African bird, live together in gangs of up to 12 and "rival groups often engage in raucous vocal displays, akin to opposing football supporters chanting at one another'', the university in the west of England said.

The research by Dr Andy Radford, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B, also revealed that the birds preen each other after a conflict, particularly when they have just lost or the battle lasted a long time.

"Just as football fans commiserate with their friends in the pub when their team loses a match... birds support one another following contests with their rivals,'' the university said.