The Science of Birds

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Mate Choice and Sexual Selection in Birds

This episode is all about how birds choose their mates and the evolutionary outcomes of those choices. A lot of what we’re talking about today has to do with sexual selection, which is a special form of natural selection.  In sexual selection, individuals compete for mates. This is when females and males choose their partners based on specific traits. Traits like plumage color or song, behavior, etc. This choosiness has resulted in some spectacular features in birds. Many of the things we love most about birds are consequences of sexual selection. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest Video of Long-tailed Manakin Display Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website Support the show

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  The Avian Digestive System

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  House Sparrow

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  Bird Habitat: Deserts

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  Chickadees, T**s, and Titmice

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  Flowers and Feathers: The Importance of Birds as Pollinators

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  Fascinating Things We Learned About Birds Last Year

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  Owls

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  Avian Rebrand: New Names for Many North American Birds

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  Bird Beaks: The Right Tool for the Job

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  Meadowlarks

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  Saving Bird Species From the Brink of Extinction

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  Quails of the New World

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  Tracking Methods: How We Know Where Birds Go

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  Sunbirds and Spiderhunters

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  Earthbound: How Birds Become Flightless

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  Red-tailed Hawk