For many years, scientists believed that birds are fighting and competing to get the female without any ethical rules. But is it the truth? Let us read ….
A new study for a tropical bird called “manakins” illustrated that male who wins the grand prize to get the female is the only one who lives with her till death, but after that his counterpart may marry and lives with his widow!!! That sincerity may not be found in human life.
What happens is that the tropical male birds perform a courtship song and dance, but the alpha male gets the girl every time. The dance, dubbed “backwards leapfrog”, was filmed in Costa Rica by zoologists from the University of Wyoming.
“At first glance, it appears like a competitive [dance-off] but in fact it is a co-operative pact between buddies” says Dr David McDonald, of Wyoming University. Also he added” As far as I know it is the only example of male-male [mating] co-operation in the animal kingdom”.
Hence we can say that there are two males: the (Alfa) who marries the female and the (Beta) who waits till the death of Alfa. Meanwhile the beta spends five years playing second fiddle. But he eventually inherits the mating site.
Here it is nice to say that the male birds’ partnership lasts up to five years, during that time, the beta male does not copulate as he has to wait until alpha male dies – he doesn’t kick him out. So he may be waiting until he’s 10, 15 or even older. In return, he will eventually inherit the mating site and become the alpha himself.
The network of relations by the male decides his role in the courtship song and dance. “As males grow up, they go through a complex network of social interactions, as how well connected a young male is will predict how he will do – whether he becomes an alpha or a beta.” says Dr McDonald.
In fact the females don’t know the males individually. They map the sites where males are doing really hot performances. But how do the males decide which of them is the alpha? Dr McDonald says” It is not a case of who is a better dancer, what it comes down to is how -well connected- he is among his buddies”.
From this study we can conclude that birds have high level of Morality and cooperation which is considered to be evidence that world of birds looks like our world. God be He blessed and exalted says: (There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they (all) shall be gathered.)(Sûrat Al-An’âm- verse38).
Also we can realize that those creatures can think and can distinguish between right and wrong, we see in mankind some people who looks at what others have got of livelihood (wife, money, sons, etc…).
Notice: most of animals and birds are like human as we can find lying, cheating and bluffing in their life, also they can distinguish between Good and evil, so the koranic description is very precise and accurate.
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By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel
References:
- http://www.uwyo.edu/news/webclips/showrelease.asp?webclipid=2601
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/sci_tech/newsid_7891000/7891460.stm
