[birding] The reddest House Finches eat well

[bouchdon at peak.org]

I came across a study of House Finches conducted by Geoffrey E. Hill
through the University of Michigan. He found that females prefer males
with the most red plumage. That’s no surprise. It turns out that male
House Finches have a carotenoid-based pigment which they get from their
food. Male House Finches vary from yellow to orange to bright red. This
pigment is a factor in making males red and thus red males tend to be well
fed. This study is documentation of sexual selection being indirectly
driven by natural selection. In selecting males with bright red, females
pass on a propensity to find good food to their offspring. Not bad for a
common feeder bird!

Don Boucher
Corvallis