- A recent study has revealed that urban birds, including pigeons, sparrows, and magpies, exhibit a greater fear of women compared to men, allowing men to approach an average of one metre closer before taking flight.
- Published in the British Ecological Society journal, these findings were consistent across all 37 bird species observed during the research, which spanned Czechia, France, Germany, Poland, and Spain.
- The study involved 2,701 observations where male and female participants, matched for height and clothing, walked directly towards birds in urban parks and green spaces.
- Scientists, including co-authors Professor Daniel Blumstein and Dr Federico Morelli, expressed surprise at the results and are currently unable to explain why birds react differently based on human sex.
- Researchers speculate that birds might be detecting subtle cues such as human pheromones, body shape, or gait, highlighting the sophisticated ability of urban birds to evaluate their environment and react to nuances humans often overlook.
IN FULL
Urban birds are more scared of women than men - but scientists don’t know why
