A&M studies could finally reveal what peacock feathers are really for
Inside a chainlink-wrapped enclosure on the campus of Texas A&M University, one of the world’s foremost peacock experts has strapped cameras onto the heads of the birds and arrived at a surprising answer to a question that has puzzled scientists since Charles Darwin’s day: What, exactly, is the point of that spectacular plumage?
The conventional wisdom is that the 6-foot-high collection of tail feathers evolved to attract the attention of the lady birds. But researchers have questioned why a feature that outlandish won out over other, less cumbersome adaptations that could serve the same basic purpose.
After looking through the eyes of the birds, Jessica Yorzinski found evidence suggesting that the popular theory overstates the importance of the peacocks’ most famous attribute. Turns out that when sizing up potential mates, peahens do not look up at that marvelous train.
“They’re not really even looking at it,” Yorzinski said. “It was a little bit puzzling.”
Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/lifestyles/environment/studies-could-finally-reveal-what-peacock-feathers-are-really-for/Qnzw7LNYK6qnImp3TDgzwO/
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