Urban Birds Appear to Be More Afraid of Women Than Men—and Researchers Are Uncertain Why
The research investigated 37 avian species in urban areas across five European nations. On average, the birds allowed men to approach roughly three feet closer than women before taking flight.
The European green woodpecker was among the most cautious species observed
Alexis Lours via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 4.0
In the 1964 movie Mary Poppins, a theme of generosity is conveyed through the lullaby “Feed the Birds.” The main character, a nanny, narrates the tale of the “bird woman,” who offers bags of crumbs while urging onlookers to “feed the little birds, show them you care.”
Sadly, recent studies indicate that the birds may not always value such generosity—especially from certain individuals. In research published in the February edition of the journal People and Nature, researchers discovered that the birds studied in various European cities were more apprehensive of women compared to men.
The results are not merely a curiosity. The researchers assert that acknowledging the differences among human observers could influence the methodology of behavioral studies involving wildlife.
“As a woman in the field, I was taken aback by the different reactions of birds to us,” remarks study co-author Yanina Benedetti, an ecologist at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, in a statement. “This research illustrates how urban animals perceive humans, which carries implications for urban ecology and equality in research. Numerous behavioral studies presume that a human observer is neutral, but this was not observed with urban birds in our research.”
Did you know? Covid-19 influenced some urban birds’ beak sizes
Dark-eyed juncos residing in Los Angeles developed longer beaks during the lockdowns, yet these features have become shorter in subsequent years. Researchers speculate this may have been caused by the birds’ loss of food scraps discarded by humans during the peak of the pandemic.
Benedetti and her team observed the avian species across seven cities in five European nations: the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland, and Spain. Throughout each experiment, observers of varying genders—but comparable heights and attire—walked directly towards birds and documented their distance when the animals took flight. This was referred to as the “flight initiation distance.”
The eight observers, four men and four women—all skilled ornithologists—compiled a final dataset involving 37 bird species. From April to July 2023, they collected data from nearly 2,600 interactions in parks and other urban green spaces.
On average, the birds permitted men to approach about three feet closer than women, as discovered by the team. This pattern was uniform across all countries and across various bird species with diverse behaviors.
Common pigeons, for instance, were more accommodating towards all humans and took flight when researchers were an average of 11.5 feet away. In contrast, European green woodpeckers appeared more paranoid and flew away when observers were approximately 53 feet distant. Both species fled sooner when approached by women.
Among the studied species, common pigeons allowed people to get the closest. Alexis Lours via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 4.0
Despite the consistent outcomes across species and locations, the researchers remain uncertain about why urban birds seem to be more fearful of women. They hypothesize that varying reactions could stem from differences in scents, gaits, or body shapes, but emphasize the need for further observations controlling these variables to validate these theories.
“We must enhance the number of human observers, therefore improving the integrity of our results,” states study co-author Federico Morelli, an ecologist at the University of Turin in Italy, to the London Times’ Adam Vaughan.
Others express caution regarding the findings, given their preliminary nature.
“Until we have a solid reason to hypothesize such discrepancies, I remain somewhat skeptical,” remarks John Marzluff, an ecologist at the University of Washington who did not participate in the recent study, to Live Science’s Kenna Hughes-Castleberry. “However, I am not at all doubtful that birds pay close attention to us and react to humans in significant ways. We simply require more research to clarify why this effect was so prevalent.”
While the research team has numerous enigmas to solve, they are convinced they have identified a genuine phenomenon.
“I firmly believe our findings indicate that urban birds respond differently based on the sex of the approaching individual, though I cannot currently provide an explanation,” asserts study co-author Daniel Blumstein, a biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the statement. “We utilized cutting-edge comparative analysis techniques that confirmed our findings were consistent across cities and species, yet we lack a definitive explanation at this time.”