What looks like the ultimate bad choice in romance–a mate from a different species–in some conditions may not be so dumb after all, according to a new analysis of flycatchers.
Two European species do face some poor consequences when they mix, acknowledges Ben C. Sheldon of the University of Oxford in England. Yet mismatched birds show quirks that reduce the damage, such as a good sex ratio of nestlings and an extra willingness to sneak off for a quick visit to a member of the right species.
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