Posted on June 4, 2025 in ASRC News
Professor Mark E. Hauber contributed to a study showing that female birds competing for scarce nesting spots evolve more aggressive behavior, backed by parallel changes in brain gene expression.
Birds don’t just chirp sweet songs — they fight. Especially when the prize is a place to raise their young.
A new study co-authored by CUNY Graduate Center Professor Mark E. Hauber (Biology, Psychology) shows that in bird species that nest in hard-to-find tree cavities, females become much more aggressive when being challenged by a competitor than those in species with more flexible nesting options, including open cup nest builders. The behavior is tied to how their brains function — but not, surprisingly, to how much testosterone they produce.