Female hummingbirds with shiny feathers like males face less social harassment: Research

According to a study published in Current Biology, it has come to light that around 20% of white-necked Jacobin hummingbirds have bright feather-like males, which protects them from attacks and harassment. According to the lead author Jay Falk, who researched at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, female birds use this technique to avoid aggressive male behaviour during feeding, including body pecking and slamming.

The research was specifically carried out by observing the white-necked Jacobin hummingbirds in Panama. The study found that more than a quarter of the female hummingbirds had the same male colouration. Notably, females usually have a drab appearance in other bird species, whereas males tend to sport shiny, flashy feathers to attract females. 

The study revealed that young female birds had bold colours, which is unusual in juveniles, as that colour is usually observed in older males. According to researchers, all the young female Jacobins are brightly coloured, but their shades fade away with maturity. However, the research revealed that around 20% of the adult females showed male-like colouration, which included blue heads with whitetails and underbellies, the same as male adults. The scientists carried out a small experiment in which they placed a few stuffed dummies of hummingbirds. It was noted that the male bird harassed the female with muted colours more, which supported the author's findings that some females kept their plumes bright only to avoid social harassment.

Image Credit: PIXABAY