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This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Jason Goldman.

Really, for probably most of a decade, you know, it seemed to be during the hot summertime where

my students would come back into the building and knock on my door and say,

hey, do you see the love birds in the windows and the vents? You know, and I said,

yeah, I have them. And they'd say, well, what do you think they're doing? Why are they there?

And, you know, maybe they're cooling down or, you know, avoiding, you know, something. And I said,

well, that sounds really interesting. Maybe we should do a study on it.

Arizona State University biologist Kevin McGraw typically studies the way animals,

including birds, use color as a way to communicate. But he couldn't resist the avian mystery

just outside the office door. After hearing about the birds perching on campus buildings

year after year, he decided to enlist the help of some undergraduate students to figure out what

they were up to. Rosie Faced Love Birds are a type of parrot native to the erud parts of

southwest Africa, like Namibia's Namibe Desert. Probably due to the pet trade, they became

established in Phoenix, Arizona around 35 years ago. In their native range, they usually stick to

natural areas. But in Phoenix, they seem to prefer urban areas like the ASU campus.

You know, it's the hottest city in North America here in Phoenix. And, you know, there are

...