The exaggerated tail of the (male) peacock compared to the shorter tail of the (female) peahen, indicates that males are under stronger sexual selection than females (Figure 1a). However ...

Looks are certainly important for the peacock, with his absurdly bright, burdensome train that he shows off to attract a female. Peahens often choose males for the quality of their trains -- the ...

Whenever a male peacock fans his tail, he shakes it at a rate of 26 times a second, creating a pressure-wave that literally rattles the female’s head for attention. A version of this story ran ...