Female hummingbirds mimic males to avoid attacks, study suggests

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They may zip around looking cute and sociable, but the world of hummingbirds is rife with aggression. Now it looks like some female hummingbirds have evolved to avoid this – by adopting the bright plumage of their male counterparts.

Surprisingly, researches found that more than a quarter of female white-necked Jacobin hummingbirds  had similar ostentatious plumage – iridescent blue heads, bright white tails, and white bellies – to the males.

Experiments conducted by the researchers suggested that the flashy male-like garb helped the females avoid aggressive male behaviours during feeding.

It is generally believed that ornamental, flashy plumage in many species has evolved as a function of competition for mates. But in this case, most of the females weren’t retaining that colourful plumage when they were sexually mature and looking for mates.

Falk and his colleagues attempted to answer why some female Jacobins continued to resemble males as adults by leaving stuffed hummingbirds on feeders (male-like females, drab females and males) and watched as real hummingbirds interacted with them in different locations in Panama.

Source - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/26/female-hummingbirds-mimic-males-to-avoid-attacks-study-suggests

[56jae 176]

who has the time to study hummingbirds lol