City birds are more afraid of women than men and scientists have no idea why

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Researchers recently discovered that birds in cities seem to be more fearful of women than men, and this held true even when they attempted to hide any obvious differences between the researchers.

I read this really interesting study in People and Nature – it was all about how birds in European parks react to people. Researchers, both men and women, approached the birds and they tracked how the birds responded. It’s cool to see how wildlife deals with us just walking around in their space.

Scientists studied 37 different kinds of birds – like pigeons, sparrows, tits, blackbirds, and magpies – in five European countries: Czechia, France, Germany, Poland, and Spain.

The researchers determined how close someone could approach a bird before it flew away – a measurement known as “flight initiation distance.”

Urban birds fear women more than men

The study found that men could approach birds about three feet closer than women before the birds took flight. This held true in all five countries examined, and for all 37 bird species observed.

The findings were particularly unexpected, as the researchers took steps to eliminate any clear differences between observers. They made sure men and women were similar in height and wore the same clothes, and that everyone approached the birds in a consistent manner.

It’s really interesting – even though it seems like they shouldn’t, the birds actually seemed to behave differently depending on whether a man or a woman was approaching them. I noticed they’d react in distinct ways, which was pretty cool to observe!

Scientists believe city birds can tell the difference between men and women, but they’re still trying to figure out how they do it.

Researchers have suggested several ideas – like smell, body form, or how someone walks – might be the reason, but they agree more study is necessary to be certain.

According to UCLA’s Professor Daniel Blumstein, a co-author of the study, the findings suggest birds are behaving unusually, though researchers haven’t yet figured out why.

He said he’s confident in their findings that city birds behave differently depending on whether a man or woman is approaching, but he doesn’t currently have an explanation for why that happens.

According to co-author Dr. Yanina Benedetti, the research suggests that people involved in behavioral studies aren’t as objective as previously thought.

The research shows that city animals are remarkably aware of people, even though they see them all the time. The team emphasized this keen attention to humans.

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2026-05-12 00:19