Mallards, they have corkscrew shaped penises, bonus facts, and the females also have corkscrew
shaped vaginas and cervixes, which has evolved to prevent the male ducks from mating with
them.
Welcome back, fabulous listeners, to another episode of The Bisexual Biologist.
My name is Riley, your host for the show, and this is a podcast where we talk queerness,
nature, and everything in between.
On today's episode, we're shining the light on the fabulous world of avian drag.
Many of our feathery friends are adorned in extravagant, vibrant, and show-stopping plumages.
Male birds often flaunt their fomboent feathers and dazzling displays to attract the attention
of their potential mates.
So grab your feather boas and let's explore how evolution, natural selection, and a little
bit of competitive breeding have shaped these avian divas to look the way they do today.
Okay, my queers, let's get into today's episode.
So, drag queens, they're icons of the queer world.
They're confident, they're colorful, they're extravagant, they're entertaining, flamboyant,
they're often seen adoring exuberant outfits and putting on these performances that are
captivating their audiences most of the time.
Sometimes a drag show will be a hot, drunken mess and the queen is just rolling around
on the floor asking for tips.
But hey, that's drag.
You get the good, the bad, and the ugly, sometimes.
So my little biology brain went down this hole of wondering, okay, so drag queens look
like what I just described, but then why do only male birds also look like they're in
drag?
Why are they like beautiful and colorful and loud and have this pretty privilege going
on and the females are so muted and lackluster in terms of their appearance?
Like what's going on biologically and is there a reason for this?
Well, there is and it's called sexual diamorphism.
Now I know that sounds like a big word that can scare you, but it simply means that males
and females of the same species look different to one another.
Think of it as nature's version of the ultimate glow up in terms of bird world.
So for example, the peafowl, male peacocks strut around with a train of feathers that
could put any drag queen's costume to shame.
Those iridescent blue and greens with eye spots that resemble glittering gems are designed
for one thing, to attract females or pee hen.
But why go out for all such an extravagant display?
Well, natural selection, where we all know Charles Darwin, the creator of the theory
of evolution, praise be to daddy Darwin, but in the wild females are picky.
They're the ones who get to choose who they're going to give their eggs to.
They have to pick and choose the best looking suitor to make sure that their offspring has
the best chance of survival.
They're looking for mates who can show off the best traits.
So strong genes, good health, and a dazzling appearance.
The more extravagant the feathers, the more likely a male peacock is to woo a mate.
It's like being on a reality dating show where the one with the most stunning outfit wins
a rose.
But in this case, it's a nest for a short amount of time before the male fucks off and
leaves the female to raise the young by herself.
So if we circle back to sexual diamorphism, the overarching theme of this episode in terms
of the biological sense of what's going on, we see it as being the observable differences
between the males and females of the same species.
And this is triggered through sexual selection of male partners by the females through competitive
mating.
So in the female's eyes, when they see males who exhibit brighter, more vibrant colors,
shinier and smoother plumages or feathers, and larger physiques, they are interpreted
by the females as having the highest reproductive fitness, producing offspring with a higher
chance of survival.
So they are chosen more and more often to reproduce by female, which means their genes
get spread into the gene pool or population a lot more, and those traits get passed on
to the next generation and so forth.
The process continues.
So in my like brain world, I was like, okay, so what are like three examples of beautiful
birds that I think are drag queen?
The males are in drag for sure.
My examples are the P. fowl, so peacocks, the Mandarin duck, and also the infamous birds
of paradise from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Okay, so now that I've given you like a quick little layman's term, easy grasping understanding
of what sexual dimorphism is and why there's a difference between the males and females
of the same species, let's go into a little bit more specific reasons and examples of
those three bird species that I mentioned.
So the P. fowls, so males, peacocks are famous for their extravagant tail feathers, which
everyone you would have seen them, they're in zoos, they're in everywhere.
They can exceed six feet in length, so that's pretty long.
Their plumage is a vibrant mix of iridescent blues and greens adorned with eye patterns
that resemble shimmering jewels.
These colorful trains are not just for aesthetics, they serve as a signal of health and vitality
as I previously mentioned.
The females known as P. hens in contrast are much more subdued in their appearance.
So they possess brown and tan feathers that provide excellent camouflage in their natural
habitat, helping them avoid predators while nesting and raising young.
So they're courtship and competitive breeding rituals.
So during mating season, the peacocks perform the elaborate displays by fanning out their
tails to showcase their beauty.
This performance is accompanied by a series of calls and movement.
The P. hens observe these displays and often choose mates based on the size, symmetry,
and brightness of the male's train.
Research also indicates that peacocks with the larger, more vibrant trail are more successful
at attracting females, demonstrating how sexual selection drives the evolution of their extravagant
trails.
Next up we have the Mandarin duck.
So I first came across Mandarin ducks when I was living in London.
They're actually native to Asia, but because British people colonized and invaded half
the world, they ended up there, I guess.
So not to digress, I digress, I should say.
So Mandarin ducks, the first time I saw them was in London.
So if you're ever in London and you want to see them.
So if you're at Trafalgar Square and you go to walk down the mall, which is like this big
long street pathway that goes towards Buckingham Palace, you're facing Buckingham Palace and
you go to the left, there's a park.
I don't know what the park's called, but there you will find Mandarin ducks, as well as many
other birds and swans and scary geese.
Anyway, Mandarin ducks, they are beautiful birds and they stand out like a sore thumb.
So the male Mandarin ducks are incredibly colorful with features of striking orange sails on
their backs, along with rich blues, purple and white coloration.
Their plumage is intricately patterned, making them one of the most visually stunning birds
you will probably ever come across.
Females are more understated again.
So they have muted brown and gray feathers that blend into their surroundings.
They have a distinctive white eye stripe, but overall they lack vibrant colors that
the males have.
In terms of their courtship and competitive breeding, the Mandarin ducks engage in various
courtship displays, which can include head bobbing and preening to show off their vibrant
feathers.
The males will often swim in circles around the females presenting their colorful plumage
and performing synchronized movements.
So putting on a show, for example.
The males' dazzling appearance signals his health and genetic fitness, which are critical
factors for the females' choice of partnership.
The more impressive the display, the higher the chances the male has of winning the females'
attention and reinforcing the connection between flamboyance and reproductive success.
So the prettier you are, the more girls you're going to get.
Toxic ducks, very toxic ducks.
Also side note, duck intercourse is also quite violent.
I don't know if Mandarin ducks is like this, but mallards, they have corkscrew-shaped penises,
bonus facts.
And the females also have corkscrew-shaped vaginas and cervixes, which has evolved to
prevent the male ducks from mating with them.
Because oftentimes male ducks will drown a female when they're getting down and dirty
because they're on top of them and pushing them underwater.
So sorry to get dark with you, but let's hope the Mandarin ducks don't do that.
Kinda weird.
It's scary.
Okay, next up we have the birds of paradise.
They're probably made quite well known when David Attenborough did a segment of them in
his planet Earth.
If you haven't seen it, go and watch it.
Educate yourself.
If you don't know who David Attenborough is, go away.
You should definitely know who that legendary man is.
So birds of paradise.
There's many species all across the island chains of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
They all have similar traits in terms of being excessive and over the top and just the most
beautiful birds you could see.
So the males are renowned for their extraordinary plumage, which can vary widely among the species.
They often exhibit bright colors with elaborate feather arrangements and unique shapes such
as long tail feathers or a feathered crest.
Some even have specialized structures like dancing feathers that enhance their displays
and can be iridescent blue on a background of black.
The females on the other hand are also typically brown and muted in their colors, which helps
them remain hidden while nesting.
The camouflage is crucial for their survival, especially during breeding season when they
are most vulnerable.
The courtship in birds of paradise is highly theatrical.
Males perform intricate dances, often incorporating their surroundings by using branches and other
objects to enhance their displays.
Each species has a unique courtship ritual that may include specific movements, sounds
and visual displays designed to impress potential mates.
The females watch these performances closely and are more likely to choose a male who exhibits
the most impressive and creative display.
This selective pressure drives the evolution of increasingly elaborate traits, ensuring
that the most skilled performers pass on their genes to the next generation.
So in summary, the Pea Fowl, Mandarin Duck and Bird of Paradise each showcase fascinating
examples of sexual diamorphism and competitive breeding strategies.
The males of these species evolve striking traits and elaborate courtship behaviors to
attract the females, highlighting the intricate dance of evolution and natural selection in
the animal kingdom.
These vibrant displays are not just for show, they are essential for survival and reproduction,
making the world of birds both captivating and deeply connected to the principles of
biology.
So there you have it, that's a little quick intro into sexual diamorphism and also why
we see such big differences between males and females of specific species, especially
birds.
It's all about who's the prettiest.
And of course, my brain just wanted to lightly touch on the topic of if they're in drag,
because they are.
They're bright, they're colorful, they're loud, they're beautiful, and they just put
on shows constantly.
So if there ever to be a RuPaul's Drag Race Bird Edition, I think these three would be
the top three contenders for sure.
They'd definitely be up there.
I reckon the peacock would win just because they're so beautiful and cocky little bitches
themselves.
Anyway, thank you so much for listening in to another episode of The Bisexual Biologist.
I hope you found this episode entertaining and insightful.
I'll be back next week with another episode for you to enjoy.
See you later.