By staying close to allies, individuals may enjoy benefits through social support. In the socially monogamous greylag goose
(Anser anser), pair-partners, parents, and even human foster parents may provide social support, facilitating access to resources or reducing
agonistic pressure. In the present work, we analysed the spatial distribution of individuals within a semi-feral flock of
120 greylag
... [Show full abstract] geese, which contained 23 adult sibling groups of 2–4 individuals from 2 to 12 years old. During resting periods
we scored dyadic distances between 28 focal individuals of different social categories, their siblings and unrelated control
individuals of the same age. Adult female siblings (i.e. those hatched in the same year and raised together) rested significantly
closer to each other than to either their brothers or unrelated control individuals. We attribute this to social attraction
rather than to just a common preference for the same resting site. Thus, kinship bonds as expressed by cohesion might persist
into adulthood, at least in the females. We discuss the potential benefits of proximity between related individuals with regard
to reduced social stress via social support.