In this episode of How a Tap-Dancing Bird Challenges Traditional Sexual Selection, you will discover how a tiny songbird, the Blue-capped Cordon-bleu, uses its tap-dancing skills and elaborate courtship displays to flip what we know about attraction in the bird world. Instead of males solely displaying the mating behavior, both males and females sing, bob, and tap together in a perfectly coordinated duet. Along the way, the episode will delve into how sexual selection works and why this bird\u2019s behavior challenges those traditional roles. The episode breaks down how shared parenting, and social monogamy, can lead to mutual performances of eye-catching displays, making both partners equally choosy. By the end, it shows that evolution can vary from traditional patterns, especially when both partners invest equally in reproduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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In this episode of How a Tap-Dancing Bird Challenges Traditional Sexual Selection, you will discover how a tiny songbird, the Blue-capped Cordon-bleu, uses its tap-dancing skills and elaborate courtship displays to flip what we know about attraction in the bird world. Instead of males solely displaying the mating behavior, both males and females sing, bob, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2444,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/uncc-birds.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/season04\/Tap-Dancing-Bird.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"8.7M","filesize_raw":"9122104","date_recorded":"2026-05-01 16:54:30","explicit":"","block":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"tags":[9,6,11,13],"series":[5],"class_list":["post-208","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","tag-biology","tag-birds","tag-mating","tag-sexual-selection","series-default-podcast"],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1037\/2021\/02\/LOGO-2.jpg?fit=1400%2C1400&ssl=1","download_link":"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/podcast-download\/208\/episode-4-6-how-a-tap-dancing-bird-challenges-traditional-sexual-selection","player_link":"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/podcast-player\/208\/episode-4-6-how-a-tap-dancing-bird-challenges-traditional-sexual-selection","audio_player":"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/podcast-player\/208\/episode-4-6-how-a-tap-dancing-bird-challenges-traditional-sexual-selection<\/a>","episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/show\/biology-of-birds","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/winging-it\/id1552737444","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/sites.charlotte.edu\/biology-birds\/feed\/podcast\/default-podcast","embedCode":"Episode 4.6: How a Tap-Dancing Bird Challenges Traditional Sexual Selection<\/a><\/blockquote>