Blackbird
37 species of European birds with this tendency. Detail: it remains to be understood why. “I believe in our results, but I don’t know how to explain them.”
Daniel Blumstein, co-author of the study, is sincere: “I fully believe our results, that urban birds react differently depending on the sex of the person approaching. But I can’t explain them now”, he admitted, in .
The shows that the European great tit, house sparrows and blackbirds, and 34 other species of European birds are more afraid of women than men. But the researchers They have no idea why.
What was verified is that the men could approach of the birds about a meter longer than the women, before the animals flew. And it didn’t matter the clothes, the height or the way the humans approached.
Birds may thus be able to identify sex of a human being – although researchers don’t know exactly how, reinforces .
The researchers analyzed birds that live in urban centers from five European countries.
Some of the birds studied are known for run away as soon as a human approaches, like loopers, and those that tend to fly away later, like pigeons.
The answer from disproportionate fear of women was consistent across species.
The research team hypothesized that the birds may be detecting chemical signals, such as pheromones, or using clues like body shape to recognize a person’s sex.
But more research is needed before any conclusions can be reached.
Notably, previous findings in mammals also suggest that these animals can distinguish men and women: for example, laboratory rats have been observed to feel greater stress when handled by male researchers than when handled by female researchers.
“We have identified a phenomenon, but we don’t really know why. However, what our results highlight is the sophisticated ability of birds to assess their environment,” said study co-author Federico Morelli, associate professor at the University of Turin, in the same statement.
“There are several possibilities for the signals that birds pick up. It could be smells, it could be the way people walk. But how can we test that? Maybe a study similar to Monty Python’s Ministry of Ridiculous Walks,” said Blumstein, referring to the famous skit from the British comedy show.
