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Mallards, they have corkscrew shaped penises, bonus facts, and the females also have corkscrew

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shaped vaginas and cervixes, which has evolved to prevent the male ducks from mating with

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them.

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Welcome back, fabulous listeners, to another episode of The Bisexual Biologist.

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My name is Riley, your host for the show, and this is a podcast where we talk queerness,

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nature, and everything in between.

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On today's episode, we're shining the light on the fabulous world of avian drag.

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Many of our feathery friends are adorned in extravagant, vibrant, and show-stopping plumages.

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Male birds often flaunt their fomboent feathers and dazzling displays to attract the attention

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of their potential mates.

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So grab your feather boas and let's explore how evolution, natural selection, and a little

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bit of competitive breeding have shaped these avian divas to look the way they do today.

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Okay, my queers, let's get into today's episode.

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So, drag queens, they're icons of the queer world.

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They're confident, they're colorful, they're extravagant, they're entertaining, flamboyant,

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they're often seen adoring exuberant outfits and putting on these performances that are

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captivating their audiences most of the time.

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Sometimes a drag show will be a hot, drunken mess and the queen is just rolling around

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on the floor asking for tips.

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But hey, that's drag.

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You get the good, the bad, and the ugly, sometimes.

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So my little biology brain went down this hole of wondering, okay, so drag queens look

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like what I just described, but then why do only male birds also look like they're in

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drag?

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Why are they like beautiful and colorful and loud and have this pretty privilege going

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on and the females are so muted and lackluster in terms of their appearance?

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Like what's going on biologically and is there a reason for this?

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Well, there is and it's called sexual diamorphism.

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Now I know that sounds like a big word that can scare you, but it simply means that males

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and females of the same species look different to one another.

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Think of it as nature's version of the ultimate glow up in terms of bird world.

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So for example, the peafowl, male peacocks strut around with a train of feathers that

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could put any drag queen's costume to shame.

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Those iridescent blue and greens with eye spots that resemble glittering gems are designed

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for one thing, to attract females or pee hen.

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But why go out for all such an extravagant display?

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Well, natural selection, where we all know Charles Darwin, the creator of the theory

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of evolution, praise be to daddy Darwin, but in the wild females are picky.

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They're the ones who get to choose who they're going to give their eggs to.

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They have to pick and choose the best looking suitor to make sure that their offspring has

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the best chance of survival.

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They're looking for mates who can show off the best traits.

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So strong genes, good health, and a dazzling appearance.

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The more extravagant the feathers, the more likely a male peacock is to woo a mate.

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It's like being on a reality dating show where the one with the most stunning outfit wins

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a rose.

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But in this case, it's a nest for a short amount of time before the male fucks off and

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leaves the female to raise the young by herself.

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So if we circle back to sexual diamorphism, the overarching theme of this episode in terms

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of the biological sense of what's going on, we see it as being the observable differences

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between the males and females of the same species.

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And this is triggered through sexual selection of male partners by the females through competitive

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mating.

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So in the female's eyes, when they see males who exhibit brighter, more vibrant colors,

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shinier and smoother plumages or feathers, and larger physiques, they are interpreted

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by the females as having the highest reproductive fitness, producing offspring with a higher

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chance of survival.

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So they are chosen more and more often to reproduce by female, which means their genes

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get spread into the gene pool or population a lot more, and those traits get passed on

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to the next generation and so forth.

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The process continues.

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So in my like brain world, I was like, okay, so what are like three examples of beautiful

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birds that I think are drag queen?

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The males are in drag for sure.

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My examples are the P. fowl, so peacocks, the Mandarin duck, and also the infamous birds

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of paradise from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

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Okay, so now that I've given you like a quick little layman's term, easy grasping understanding

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of what sexual dimorphism is and why there's a difference between the males and females

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of the same species, let's go into a little bit more specific reasons and examples of

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those three bird species that I mentioned.

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So the P. fowls, so males, peacocks are famous for their extravagant tail feathers, which

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everyone you would have seen them, they're in zoos, they're in everywhere.

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They can exceed six feet in length, so that's pretty long.

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Their plumage is a vibrant mix of iridescent blues and greens adorned with eye patterns

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that resemble shimmering jewels.

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These colorful trains are not just for aesthetics, they serve as a signal of health and vitality

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as I previously mentioned.

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The females known as P. hens in contrast are much more subdued in their appearance.

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So they possess brown and tan feathers that provide excellent camouflage in their natural

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habitat, helping them avoid predators while nesting and raising young.

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So they're courtship and competitive breeding rituals.

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So during mating season, the peacocks perform the elaborate displays by fanning out their

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tails to showcase their beauty.

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This performance is accompanied by a series of calls and movement.

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The P. hens observe these displays and often choose mates based on the size, symmetry,

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and brightness of the male's train.

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Research also indicates that peacocks with the larger, more vibrant trail are more successful

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at attracting females, demonstrating how sexual selection drives the evolution of their extravagant

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trails.

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Next up we have the Mandarin duck.

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So I first came across Mandarin ducks when I was living in London.

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They're actually native to Asia, but because British people colonized and invaded half

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the world, they ended up there, I guess.

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So not to digress, I digress, I should say.

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So Mandarin ducks, the first time I saw them was in London.

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So if you're ever in London and you want to see them.

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So if you're at Trafalgar Square and you go to walk down the mall, which is like this big

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long street pathway that goes towards Buckingham Palace, you're facing Buckingham Palace and

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you go to the left, there's a park.

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I don't know what the park's called, but there you will find Mandarin ducks, as well as many

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other birds and swans and scary geese.

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Anyway, Mandarin ducks, they are beautiful birds and they stand out like a sore thumb.

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So the male Mandarin ducks are incredibly colorful with features of striking orange sails on

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their backs, along with rich blues, purple and white coloration.

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Their plumage is intricately patterned, making them one of the most visually stunning birds

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you will probably ever come across.

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Females are more understated again.

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So they have muted brown and gray feathers that blend into their surroundings.

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They have a distinctive white eye stripe, but overall they lack vibrant colors that

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the males have.

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In terms of their courtship and competitive breeding, the Mandarin ducks engage in various

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courtship displays, which can include head bobbing and preening to show off their vibrant

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feathers.

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The males will often swim in circles around the females presenting their colorful plumage

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and performing synchronized movements.

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So putting on a show, for example.

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The males' dazzling appearance signals his health and genetic fitness, which are critical

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factors for the females' choice of partnership.

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The more impressive the display, the higher the chances the male has of winning the females'

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attention and reinforcing the connection between flamboyance and reproductive success.

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So the prettier you are, the more girls you're going to get.

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Toxic ducks, very toxic ducks.

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Also side note, duck intercourse is also quite violent.

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I don't know if Mandarin ducks is like this, but mallards, they have corkscrew-shaped penises,

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bonus facts.

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And the females also have corkscrew-shaped vaginas and cervixes, which has evolved to

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prevent the male ducks from mating with them.

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Because oftentimes male ducks will drown a female when they're getting down and dirty

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because they're on top of them and pushing them underwater.

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So sorry to get dark with you, but let's hope the Mandarin ducks don't do that.

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Kinda weird.

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It's scary.

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Okay, next up we have the birds of paradise.

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They're probably made quite well known when David Attenborough did a segment of them in

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his planet Earth.

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If you haven't seen it, go and watch it.

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Educate yourself.

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If you don't know who David Attenborough is, go away.

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You should definitely know who that legendary man is.

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So birds of paradise.

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There's many species all across the island chains of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

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They all have similar traits in terms of being excessive and over the top and just the most

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beautiful birds you could see.

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So the males are renowned for their extraordinary plumage, which can vary widely among the species.

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They often exhibit bright colors with elaborate feather arrangements and unique shapes such

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as long tail feathers or a feathered crest.

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Some even have specialized structures like dancing feathers that enhance their displays

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and can be iridescent blue on a background of black.

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The females on the other hand are also typically brown and muted in their colors, which helps

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them remain hidden while nesting.

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The camouflage is crucial for their survival, especially during breeding season when they

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are most vulnerable.

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The courtship in birds of paradise is highly theatrical.

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Males perform intricate dances, often incorporating their surroundings by using branches and other

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objects to enhance their displays.

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Each species has a unique courtship ritual that may include specific movements, sounds

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and visual displays designed to impress potential mates.

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The females watch these performances closely and are more likely to choose a male who exhibits

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the most impressive and creative display.

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This selective pressure drives the evolution of increasingly elaborate traits, ensuring

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that the most skilled performers pass on their genes to the next generation.

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So in summary, the Pea Fowl, Mandarin Duck and Bird of Paradise each showcase fascinating

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examples of sexual diamorphism and competitive breeding strategies.

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The males of these species evolve striking traits and elaborate courtship behaviors to

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attract the females, highlighting the intricate dance of evolution and natural selection in

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the animal kingdom.

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These vibrant displays are not just for show, they are essential for survival and reproduction,

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making the world of birds both captivating and deeply connected to the principles of

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biology.

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So there you have it, that's a little quick intro into sexual diamorphism and also why

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we see such big differences between males and females of specific species, especially

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birds.

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It's all about who's the prettiest.

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And of course, my brain just wanted to lightly touch on the topic of if they're in drag,

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because they are.

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They're bright, they're colorful, they're loud, they're beautiful, and they just put

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on shows constantly.

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So if there ever to be a RuPaul's Drag Race Bird Edition, I think these three would be

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the top three contenders for sure.

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They'd definitely be up there.

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I reckon the peacock would win just because they're so beautiful and cocky little bitches

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themselves.

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Anyway, thank you so much for listening in to another episode of The Bisexual Biologist.

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I hope you found this episode entertaining and insightful.

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I'll be back next week with another episode for you to enjoy.

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See you later.