Credit: Dr Paul Rose Captive pelicans that are free to choose their own friendships are more likely to breed successfully on repeated occasions, new research suggests. Social network analysis on captive great white pelicans, led by the University of Exeter, found that providing social choice within the flock and allowing partnerships to form naturally led to improved breeding success. The study revealed that the pelicans chose their specific social relationships, and that there was a social structure across the flock, in which sub-adults (the equivalent of teenagers) spent more time with each other than with adult birds. Zoo-housed pelicans are common, but their breeding record is poor and they receive little research attention, compared to other popular birds in zoos such as penguins.