Gaze-Tracking Finds That Peacocks' Tails Don't Impress Females

Peacock strutting his stuff for a female in the study. Image credit: Jessica L. Yorzinski et al. /Journal of Experimental Biology The peacock is the epitome of over-the-top displays used to attract the ladies, and has long been touted as the classic example of sexual selection in action. But new research suggests that peahens make their mate choices without paying much attention to males' flashy tails. Darwin suggested species like peafowl evolved such outlandish ornamentation through the process of sexual selection, by which female taste influenced the evolution of male appearance. In order to mate with a female, the male must to grab her attention and hold onto it long enough to do the deed. The most successful males, then, were thought to be the most decorated, suggesting that female preference could direct the evolution of the male appearance. That theory has held for the last century and a half, but was never really demonstrated, because who really knows what's going on inside the brain of a peahen?