this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2025
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Saw this kickass bird at the lake one day. Went home and looked it up.
red-winged blackbird
C'mon!
Field biology professor at my alma matter did a study on red-winged blackbirds where they put black paint over the red spots. The females didn't really care, but the other males would beat the shit out of the test birds.
Animal behavior is funny
I wonder how that benefits them in terms of evolution.
The benefit is that strong red patches scare off other males, small patches get you clobbered, and no one is mating with the bird that just got his shit rocked.
Brighter colors indicate health like their ability to successfully gather food which builds up the pigmentation, as well as fitness in avoiding predators. If you see bright bird it is very likely its a male, the stronger the signals, the more attractive they are as a potential mate