Evolutionary reason for massive difference in size between male and female...
Some of the largest female birds in the world were almost twice as big as their male mates. Research carried out by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) shows that this amazing size difference in...
View ArticleNew study shows kiwi call in perfect harmony
(Phys.org) —A group of researchers at Victoria University studying the little spotted kiwi are uncovering surprising results about our national bird's behaviour.
View ArticleTone-deaf female cowbirds change flock behavior, disrupt social networks
Female cowbirds incapable of recognizing high-quality male songs can alter the behavior of flock-mates of either sex and disrupt overall social structure, according to research published May 1 in the...
View ArticlePersonality is the result of nurture, not nature, suggests new study on birds
Researchers at the University of Exeter and the University of Hamburg investigated how personality is transferred between generations. They found that foster parents have a greater influence on the...
View ArticleCommunicating nightingales: Older males trill better
Older male nightingales perform faster and more demanding trills than their younger rivals. These findings were published by researchers at the University of Basel and the Netherlands Institute of...
View Article'Shy' male birds flock together—and have fewer friends
Male birds that exhibit 'shy' social behaviour are much more likely to join flocks of birds with a similar personality than their 'bold' male counterparts, a new study has found. But shy birds also...
View ArticleThe evolution of plumage patterns in male and female birds
(Phys.org) —Research published today looks at the evolutionary pathways to differences in bird plumage patterns between males and females – and concludes that birds are able to adapt their appearance...
View ArticleGenome study indicates peacock eyespots likely developed to impress females
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers with members from several universities in the U.S. and one in China has found evidence that suggests that ocelli (areas on feathers that look like eyes) on male...
View ArticleFemale color perception affects evolution of male plumage in birds
The expression of a gene involved in female birds' color vision is linked to the evolution of colorful plumage in males, reports a new study from the University of Chicago. The findings, published Nov....
View ArticleBeing more colorful found to be disadvantage for female plover
(Phys.org)—A team of researchers working in Australia has found that bright coloring on female birds appears to be a reproductive disadvantage. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal...
View ArticleDoctoral student sheds light on Asian bird's migration patterns
(Phys.org) —An Arizona State University biologist and her team have found that the Asian subspecies of great bustard, one of the heaviest birds capable of flight, covers migratory routes of more than...
View ArticleStudy duo find adaptive value of same-sex pairing in Laysan albatross
(Phys.org) —A pair of researchers with Pacific Rim Conservation has found that female same-sex pairings of Laysan albatross in Oahu, Hawaii results in more offspring for the colony of birds than if...
View ArticleSexual selection may result in bigger-billed male birds
(Phys.org) —To female coastal plain swamp sparrows, male bill size matters.
View ArticleDesire to reproduce drives active nightlife of birds
For a non-nocturnal bird, the yellow-breasted chat spends a significant amount of time visiting other birds' territories during the night. A University of Illinois researcher who was studying birds'...
View ArticlePromiscuous males die young, childless females live longer
(Phys.org) —A study of birds by researchers from our Department of Biology & Biochemsitry in collaboration with the University of Sheffield shows for the first time how sexual behaviour is linked...
View ArticleMosquito-feeding study may help stem dangerous viruses
Mosquitoes bite male birds nearly twice as often as they bite females, a finding that may help scientists understand how to stem some viruses from spreading to humans, new University of Florida...
View ArticleResearchers able to perform extended study of stunning wild northern cardinal...
(Phys.org)—Ornithologists Brian Peer and Robert Motz, with Western Illinois University, found themselves with a unique opportunity a couple of years ago—to study a gynandromorphy in its native...
View ArticleDNA which only females have
In many animal species, the chromosomes differ between the sexes. The male has a Y chromosome. In some animals, however, for example birds, it is the other way round. In birds, the females have their...
View ArticleWorsening wind forecasts signal stormy times ahead for seabirds
Stronger winds forecast as a result of climate change could impact on populations of wild animals, by affecting how well they can feed, a study of seabirds suggests.
View ArticleBird tracking aids seabird research
A two year study of shags on the Isle of May National Nature Reserve in Scotland reveals that when winds are strong, female birds take much longer to find food compared with males.
View ArticleIn cordon bleus, song develops independently of sex differences in the brain
In female songbirds, brain areas responsible for song learning are usually smaller and have fewer neurons compared to males. However, in many species such as the blue-capped cordon bleu, females...
View ArticleFemale birds show their true colours
Showy plumage in birds is not just for the boys, ecologists from Massey University, McMaster University, Canada, Monash University, Australia, and Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany, have...
View ArticleResearchers reveal acoustic complexity of chickadee songs
Songbirds join humans in the select few animal groups that are "vocal learners"—that is, they must learn from adults of their own species to develop a normal ability to speak (or sing, as the case may...
View ArticleWhy some cuckoos lay blue eggs
Cuckoos are nest parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in other birds' nests. The female cuckoo has to lay eggs that mimic the color, size and shape of the eggs of the host bird. Using a massive data...
View ArticleCheating is more society's problem than an affair of the heart
When it comes to love, cheating and divorce, matters are never just of the heart. In a bid to understand the love lives of humans, scientists have turned to the romantic relations of birds since the...
View ArticleFemale lyrebirds step into the spotlight with their extraordinary mimicry
The female Superb Lyrebird of Australia is finally getting her day in the sun. The male is justly famous for his amazing ability to mimic sounds. But for the first time, scientists have conducted a...
View ArticleWhat messages do female birds' markings send?
Both male and female birds use traits like plumage brightness to size each other up, but a new study on Northern Cardinals in The Auk: Ornithological Advances shows that the meanings of female birds'...
View ArticleMuscle fibers alone can't explain sex differences in bird song
Male birds tend to be better singers than females—but does the basis for this difference lie in the brain or in the syrinx, the bird equivalent of our larynx? The researchers behind a new study from...
View ArticleLost in translation: To the untrained zebra finch ear, jazzy courtship songs...
Zebra finches brought up without their fathers don't react to the singing of potential suitors in the same way that female birds usually do, hinting that the environment in which the birds are raised...
View ArticleResearcher studies birds that break all the mating rules
What can the mating behavior of birds tell us about evolution, climate change and species survival? For Peter Dunn, UWM distinguished professor of biological sciences, bird-watching offers clues to...
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