Why Female Birds Seek Extra Mates: Study Of Blue Tits Fuels Debate
Sunday, May 10, 2009 - 19:21
in Biology & Nature
When female birds mate with males other than their social partners and have broods of mixed paternity, the offspring sired by these "extra-pair" fathers may often get a head start in life, according to a new study on blue tits. The discovery adds fuel to the debate about why some female birds seek those extra mates in the first place.