Female hummingbirds look like males to avoid attacks, study suggests

Source: The Guardian

Female hummingbirds look like males to avoid attacks, study suggests

Some females found to have evolved with bright plumage, which seems to protect against male aggression

Natalie Grover Science correspondent
@NatalieGrover
Thu 26 Aug 2021 17.08 BST

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.

US researchers captured more than 400 white-necked Jacobin hummingbirds in Panama.

Surprisingly, they found that more than a quarter of females had similar ostentatious plumage – iridescent blue heads, bright white tails, and white bellies – to the males. Typically, female Jacobins tend to be duller in comparison, brandishing muted green, grey or black hues that allow them to blend into the environment.

Experiments conducted by the researchers suggested that the flashy male-like garb helped the females avoid aggressive male behaviours during feeding, such as pecking and body slamming.

When the researchers examined the captured birds, they found that all the young or juvenile Jacobins displayed flashy hues. Generally, across most bird species, juvenile birds typically resemble the corresponding sex of the adult birds.

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