I'm too sexy for light feathers: Barn swallows with darker chest feathers do better with the ladies than those with lighter feathers, a study shows. On top of that, those that have their feathers darkened increase their production of testosterone.
Courtesy MdfSorry guys, but our perceptions of what makes us manly have taken a severe hit with this new scientific discovery.

Evolutionary biologists working with barn swallows in New Jersey have found that a little extra black make-up applied to the chest feathers of male swallows increases their “hook-ups” with female swallows.

The lighter colored males typically are smaller, less genetically attractive versions of the species and hence their low procreation rate. But as they say, a little dab will do you, and with the help of ink from a marker, life changes for the male swallows.

The researchers actually had done earlier testing that showed the feather coloring change to be an aid for male swallows. But in this latest round of research, they found that maleness-enhancing impacts from the color change. They treated males had increases in the amount of testosterone they produced and even trimmed down in weight.

Full details of the study are available here at the Current Biology website. I just hope that the Hair Club for Men and Grecian Formula yahoos don’t get wind of this new information.

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