Book
Birds, sex, and beauty : the extraordinary implications of Charles Darwin's strangest idea / Matt Ridley.
In all animals, mating is a deal. But few creatures behave as if sex is a simple transaction. Many treat it with reverence, suspicion, angst and violence. In the case of the Black Grouse, the bird at the centre of Matt Ridley's investigation, the males dance and sing for hours a day, for several exhausting months, in an exhausting and sometimes deadly ritual called a 'lek'. To prepare for the ordeal, they grow, preen and display fancy, twisted, bold-colored feathers. But why are males the eager sellers and females the discerning buyers? Why do increasingly baroque and bizarre males put themselves at risk of attack by circling hawks and rival birds? And why are these displays considered beautiful by humans at all?
Record details
- ISBN: 9780063342989 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xii, 340 pages : illustrations (chiefly colour) ; 24 cm
- Edition: First U.S. edition.
- Publisher: New York : Harper, [2025]
- Copyright: ©2025
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882. Birds > Sexual behavior. Evolution (Biology) Lek behavior. Natural selection. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cookstown Branch | 598.1562 Rid | 31681010413284 | NONFIC | Available | - |
