Do Smart Songbirds Always Get the Girl?
Monday, April 3, 2017 - 10:02
in Biology & Nature
Compelling evidence shows females prefer mates with better cognitive abilities in a number of animals and even humans. For male songbirds, their ability to sing complex songs has been suggested to signal cognitive ability and is vital for attracting females as well as repelling rival males. What's not clear is how female songbirds can judge the cognitive abilities of potential mates, which is a necessary first step if smarter mates are preferred over their not-as-smart counterparts.