Friday
6 Nov 2015 7:27 p.m.
Colourful plumage in male birds is not an exclusive characteristic just to attract a mate, but is linked to social and lifestyle factors, says a Massey University study published yesterday.
"A
shortfall of the classical sexual selection theory is that it works so well at
explaining colourful plumage in males that the rest of the variation is often
forgotten about," said the study's lead author James Dale.
The
study, published in science journal Nature, examined the colouration in
around 6000 species of passerine birds – more commonly known as 'songbirds' –
which make up around half of all bird species.
The
researchers found colour is important in terms of individual competition and
not just restricted to males.
Many
bird species have males displaying brighter and more colourful feathers than
the females, who have darker, duller plumage – a characteristic that has been
attributed to the need to compete to find a partner to mate and procreate with.
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