Australian Birds Attract Mates with "Scary Movie Effect"
Monday, January 17, 2011 - 17:30
in Biology & Nature
Male splendid fairy-wrens, a sexually promiscuous small bird native to Australia, are known to sing a special song each time they hear the call of one of their predators, the butcherbirds. New research from the University of Chicago finds that this seemingly dangerous behavior actually serves as a call to potential mates - a flirtation using fear.