City birds keep a greater distance from women than from men, study of 37 species finds
A study carried out in five European countries has found that city birds are more afraid of women than of men, and keep a comparatively greater distance from women.
The observation covered 37 bird species in total, including European great tits, pigeons and magpies.
The results show that, before flying away in fear, men were able to get about one metre closer to the birds than women could. In other words, a bird approached by a woman took off about a metre earlier than it did when approached by a man.
According to the study, the finding suggests that birds may have a subtle ability to identify a person's sex, although exactly how they do it remains a mystery.
The study's co-authors, Daniel Blumstein and Federico Morelli, said the result highlights birds' intelligence in assessing their own environment.
The researchers' initial hypothesis is that birds may detect the difference with the help of people's body size, their way of walking, or chemical signals or smells such as pheromones.
To test whether people's gait is the reason birds behave this way, Daniel Blumstein has also floated the idea of a future study walking strangely, in the manner of the famous British comedy show Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks, which might help unravel the mystery.
The report also noted that an earlier study on laboratory rats had found that rats suffered much more stress when handled by male researchers than by female researchers.
