Black vultures engage in one of the most deviant behaviours in biology – they are monogamous. They tend to build their nests apart from other vultures and are fiercely territorial when it comes to protecting the nest. Although there would appear to be lots of opportunity for being unfaithful when one of the pair is sitting on the eggs and the other is off foraging, these birds have a social convention that helps prevent this. Apparently, black vultures insist that sex be conducted in the privacy of the nest and won’t tolerate lewd behaviour in public. If a young bird who doesn’t know better tries to get laid at a roost, the poor creature will be roundly attacked by the other vultures in the vicinity. Who’d have thought black vultures would be so prudish?


Text adapted in part from Dr Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation