July 18, 2013

Shorebirds prefer a good body to a large brain



In many animal species, males and females differ in terms of their brain size. The most common explanation is that these differences stem from sexual selection. But predictions are not always certain. A team of researchers at the Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications has discovered that a group of coastal birds, shorebirds, do not choose their mates by brain size but “on their physiques”.