Stadtvögel scheinen vor Frauen mehr Angst zu haben als vor Männern, und Wissenschaftler haben keine Ahnung, warum. Männer konnten etwa einen Meter näher an Vögel herankommen als Frauen, bevor die Tiere wegflogen, unabhängig davon, was die Männer und Frauen trugen, wie groß sie waren oder wie sie versuchten, sich den Kreaturen zu nähern.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/city-birds-appear-more-afraid-of-women-than-men-and-scientists-have-no-idea-why/
32 Kommentare
City birds appear to be more afraid of women than men, and scientists have no idea why
European Great Tits and 36 other bird species on the continent are more afraid of women than they are of men, according to a recent study—and researchers have no idea why.
In the study, men could get about a meter closer to birds than women could before the animals flew away, according to the results. This pattern remained regardless of what the men and women were wearing, what their height was or how they tried to approach the creatures. That suggests birds may be able to suss out the sex of a human, though the researchers aren’t sure how.
“I fully believe our results, that urban birds react differently based on the sex of the person approaching them, but I can’t explain them right now,” said Daniel Blumstein, a co-author of the study and a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a statement.
The researchers looked at birds living in urban centers in five European countries. They included birds that are known to flee as soon as a human approaches, such as magpies, and those that tend to flap off later, such as pigeons. The outsize fear response to women was consistent across the species.
In the paper, the team hypothesized that birds may be sensing chemical signals, such as pheromones, or using cues such as body shape to recognize a person’s sex. But more research is needed before they can come to any conclusions. Notably, previous findings in mammals also suggest these animals can tell men and women apart: for example, lab rats have been observed to feel greater stress when male researchers handle them than when female researchers do so.
For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.70226
I wonder if the expressed gender of the person matters.
Smell? Perfumes could be driving them off?
Finally a way to determine who is female and who is male. Science has been waiting for this.
It’s all about generating the right smell..
But seriously, I’m intrigued. I’m even surprised that they can so readily tell the difference in another species.
Now try it with trans folks and see what they do.
Are women more likely to notice/watch birds? Animals are very sensitive to body language, maybe they can sense when they’re being observed
Did the women wear makeup in the studies? Birds can see more colors. Maybe it startles them.
I guess my first thought was hair. Long hair might resemble ruffled feathers or other signs of avian agitation.
I’d like to know the sex makeup of the birds. Did male and female birds fly away from women equally?
I’d suspect it’s longer hair generally. Lots of birds have aggressive feather gestures on their heads to intimidate other birds, increasing their overall size. They probably read women as very aggressive accordingly, even if they have short haircuts. To birds they probably just think women can puff out hair to be long at-will.
Definitely would like to see birds responses to male punks with mohawks in a paper. For science.
I love the random studies like this that gets published
They probably heard about my mother in law who shoots starlings with a bb gun
I’v been saying for a while women are like cats, seems like birds are picking up on it to
So does that means that men have better chances at becoming Disney princesses than women?
City birds appear to find the male ape more curious than the female of the species and lingers moment longer in observation before using consideration to move away so as to not directly interact with either sex of the flightless land dweller.
Clearly, they didn’t study NYC birds. The pigeons in particular are afraid of NOTHING.
The amount of women who have told me they are scared of birds or just hate them is pretty large too. Never heard that from a man. I wonder if that has something to do with this…
I think it makes sense. I have parrots and if i wear specific patterns, colors or god forbid have a scrunchies on my wrist, they throw a huge overdramatic fit like like ive turned into the devil
Like any decent wingman, birds know that bros come before hoes.
I wonder if the humans were talking during the test. Higher-pitched voices might have a difference. I’m also curious to see if there would be any difference comparing the birds‘ reactions to pre-pubescent boys and girls.
Looking at the results, the IQR for female observers is higher. As they are experts, I would expect their demeanor to be a non-issue.
The observer size is small and I am quite incapable of determining power of non-parametric tests. Would anyone else please determine if there is acceptable power with the number of Observers X Observations? I’m not hugely convinced after looking at them figures.
I’m reminded of the old sterotype of older ladies chasing off strays, mice, bugs, etc with a broom. I don’t really associate it with cities but who knows .
There are more lonely men at the park feeding birds than women?
I live in a small village and have fed wild birds daily for 5 years now. Ironically, my wife can get much closer to the birds then I can. Maybe it’s just that they expect me to invade their space to fill feeders, or perhaps, I have stumbled upon a scientific breakthrough.
Birds know if a man wanted to hurt them he would simply run at them with a stick. Whereas if a woman wanted to hurt them she would embed herself in their social circles and slowly unravel their identities from the inside.
Maybe birds can see Blaschko lines?
https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-actually-have-secret-stripes-and-other-strange-markings
Or if the women were wearing make-up, the lack of them gives a sort of uncanny vallen effect?
For hundreds of years, women wore hats with bird plumes on them. Maybe birds tell stories? „Back in my day, the lady ones would prance around wearing our tail feathers. Don’t trust them! Tell the children!“
TIL birds and 90% of redditors are the same
UV Protection skin care products is my guess. Users reflecting more UV are more visible or alarming in appearance to birds that can see in UV?
I have birds and they are both very funny and peculiar. One things I’ve notice is they don’t like all the things I wear. I have a particular black jacket they when I approach them, they fly away. I wager it reflects light that humans can’t see and makes them nervous (perhaps UV?) or the sound it makes when I move. I wonder if there are materials, colors/patters, or perhaps jewelry, that women wear more that birds don’t like?
No idea why…
This has to be engagement bait.