Feather birds gather, especially when trying to prevent sexual harassment.
According to a new study, some hummingbird females are disguised as male counterparts to prevent harassment of brutes.
It is known that male birds tend to have more showy feathers than the duller plumage of females, an adaptation of the mating ritual that scientists believe helps to attract mates.
However, a population of white-necked Jacobins in Panama caught the attention of scientists recently when they encountered females with the same bright blue head, green shoulders, and pearly white belly that males have, unlike the dull green and white feathers of most females. .
Researchers at the Cornell Ornithology Laboratory and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, whose work was published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, estimated that nearly 20% of females were of this flagrant type. And, according to the scientists, they seemed to benefit from fewer male attacks, such as pecking and “body blows,” especially when eating.
It is one of the first evidence to suggest that the coloration of birds may be the result of the “non-sexual social selection” of the species. Previous research has indicated that male and female birds are increasingly inspired by each other when it comes to feather flares, which scientists believe is part of an evolving defense mechanism.
It should be noted that the Cornell-Smithsonian team, led by ornithologist Jay Falk, noticed that all juvenile females of Jacobin hummingbirds are brightly colored, as are the males, which move away from almost all other species. of birds, in which the opposite is true. In fact, most male and female birds start with a dull coat that becomes their own over time.
“It simply came to our notice then [a species] where the young looked like the males, “Falk said in a statement.” So it was clear there was something at stake. “
His study consisted of creating taxidermy hummingbirds and controlling how the real ones behaved towards mannequins of various sexes and colors. What they found was that brightly colored female hummingbirds could access the dining rooms more often, apparently thanks to their imposing plumage. At the same time, coarse female mountains withstood a greater degree of assault by live male hummingbirds.
On the other hand, the unconventional prosperity of some hummingbird females does them no favors in the mating scene.
“If females who had male-like plumage are the result of sexual selection, males would have been attracted to male plumage females,” Falk explained. “It simply came to our notice then. White-necked male Jacobins still show a clear preference for typically feathered adult females. “
But a girl has to eat.