Question

Peawingspans display their brilliant plumage. What does this display communicate?

Answer 1

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It tells the females that they are males of their own species, with an exclamation mark! This function is extremely important because mating with the wrong species can have dire consequences on the fitness of an individual, since most hybrids are less fit than either parental species. Scientists have also learned that colors involved in mating displays tend to become more intense over time, due to sexual selection. It is because the brain has a tendency to prefer brighter hues of the same color. This is illustrated in a recent finding which shows that some Australian beetles were attracted by beer bottles and prefer them over females of their own species because the beetles are attracted to big, and orange objects, and the bottles are bigger and more intensely orange in color than the females.

The eye spot markings on the tail feathers also tell potential predators that the peawingspan is a big animal and that they should think twice before attacking. Eye spots are a very common color pattern in the animal kingdom and they are used by many different types of animals to warn predators by deceiving them, or they may be used to redirect a potential attack to a less vulnerable part of the body. Butterflies, fish, birds, reptiles, and even cats are animals known to have eyespots. BTW, the peawingspan's tail is not all that brilliant. It mostly consists of green and red colors, which are common colors in a woodland setting since leaves are green and branches and fallen leaves are reddish. Ironically, the neck and body of the peawingspan is blue, which is an uncommon color in nature and which is far more conspicuous in a woodland setting than green and red. It is most likely the blue color which excites the peahen during courtship, not the other colors. IOW, the peawingspan's tail mostl likey provides a rather drab colored background that focuses the peahen's attention on the intense, bright blue color of male's body. The blue colored eyespots on the peawingspan's tail merely serve to remind the female that the blue color in the middle of the display is the sexy one.

Answer 2

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