UK researchers have shown that highly sociable Australian birds, called Gouldian finches, have different personalities according to the color of their heads.

The team, led by Leah Williams and Dr. Claudia Mettke-Hofmann from Liverpool John Moores University, found that red-headed birds have aggressive tendencies, while those with black heads are bold and take more risks than their peers.

This is only the second time researchers have demonstrated such a strong link between personality and color. The only other study showed that dark, male Hermanns tortoises are both more aggressive and bolder than paler males.

Williams studied the birds as part of her PhD project. She said:

We think that head color is used as a signal of personality to other birds in the flock, so they know who to associate with.

Scientists first noticed a link between animals different colors and various aspects of their behavior such as aggression, sexual behavior and predator-avoidance tactics in the early 90s. Red, for example, has long been associated with aggression in cichlids, other birds, reptiles, primates and even us.

But individual behaviors like aggression can only be called personality if repeatable over long periods of time. Williams said:

Earlier studies didnt look to see if these behaviors are aspects of these animals personalities, because they didnt repeat them multiple times.

So Williams and animal personality expert Mettke-Hofmann teamed up with Dr. Andrew King from The Royal Veterinary College to find out if color defines personality in the endangered Gouldian finch. Williams explained:

We decided to look at these finches, because an Australian study had revealed that the red-headed ones are more aggressive, with red-heads dominant over black-headed finches.

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Bird’s head color determines its personality