40. Abyssinian Thrush When I came to Africama in September, the garden was full of these birds: very active, anxiously chasing each other. They’ve mostly gone now. Presumably the flurry was about breeding, and hopefully the happy couples are now quietly raising babies elsewhere. The importance of breeding for birds can hardly be exaggerated. The stakes are very high and, at that time of year, nothing else matters: the genetic imperative. It is not surprising that some cut corners, like the cuckoo outsourcing child-care to lay more often. Some birds mate, as they say, ‘for life’, although I believe that a little bit of cheating does occur even with these more principled birds. If you can get away with it, well, why not? Faithfulness has advantages: a pair strongly bonded should be better at raising young. On the other hand, if you can successfully fool another male to think that your chicks are his, he might help with feeding the greedy little blighters. With many birds, there is a very serious annual competition for partners, and males have to go to extraordinary lengths to outshine their rivals: gaudy plumage, skilful nest-building, dare-devil flying displays, melodious love-songs. Alas, ‘twas ever thus. Birds of AFRICAMA House 84 Birds of AFRICAMA House 85