Birds, sex and beauty : the extraordinary implications of Charles Darwin's strangest idea / Matt Ridley.
| Author/creator | Ridley, Matt author. |
| Format | Book |
| Edition | First U.S. edition. |
| Publication | New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2025] |
| Description | xii, 340 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Preface -- The Lek -- Darwin's unpopular theory -- The females arrive -- Run away fashion -- Long odds -- Tales of long tails -- Curlew chorus -- Handicaps and parasites -- Paragon peacock -- The riddle of the ruff -- An aesthetic sense -- How mate choice shaped the human mind -- Epilogue: Saving the Black Grouse -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index. |
| Summary | 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? |
| General note | Originally published in Great Britain in 2025 by 4th Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. -- title verso |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN | 9780063342989 hardcover |
| ISBN | 0063342987 hardcover |
| ISBN | 0008750513 |
| ISBN | 9780008750510 |
| ISBN | 0008645566 |
| ISBN | 9780008645564 |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | General Stacks | QL698.3 .R53 2025 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |