

The Advantages of Being Different - eru
http://www.mpg.de/english/illustrationsDocumentation/multimedia/mpResearch/2007/heft01/015/index.html

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DabAsteroid
Excerpt:

 _Ornithology

The Advantages of Being Different

Zebra Finches Display Remarkable Differences in Their Individual Sexual
Behavior

by Christina Beck

    
    
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The male zebra finch shakes himself after the scientist opens his hand and
releases the bird into the cage but he doesnt appear to be put out by this
involuntary displacement. Instead, he ruffles his head and neck feathers and
immediately starts to court the only female in the cage. Her reaction is one
of diffidence, reluctance hes really quite a womanizer. Zebra finches display
remarkable differences in their individual sexual behavior, says Wolfgang
Forstmeier. Many males begin to court a female immediately and persistently,
while others are surprisingly shy. The females, too, all react very
differently: some are prepared to copulate with one or more males immediately,
while others strictly reject all advances.

Extrovert or introvert, confident or shy, macho or softie observers may use
attributes like these to describe human beings, but surely not birds? On the
contrary, says Forstmeier, such personality traits can be observed in young
zebra finches early on, and they are still apparent years later._

