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Smart Male Chickadees Attract Cheating Females, Study Finds

7/2/2026

Summary

Story summary

Researchers published a study in eLife showing female mountain chickadees cheat to mate with smarter males.
Assistant professor Carrie Branch of Western University in Ontario linked male memory scores from cache-retrieval tests and micro-tracking to extra-pair paternity.
Females consistently chose the highest-scoring males even when paired with socially dominant but less intelligent partners.
Dr. Sarah Ndungu called the behavior genetic bet-hedging and noted similar cognition-driven mating in African drongos.

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Story summary

Researchers published a study in eLife showing female mountain chickadees cheat to mate with smarter males.
Assistant professor Carrie Branch of Western University in Ontario linked male memory scores from cache-retrieval tests and micro-tracking to extra-pair paternity.
Females consistently chose the highest-scoring males even when paired with socially dominant but less intelligent partners.
Dr. Sarah Ndungu called the behavior genetic bet-hedging and noted similar cognition-driven mating in African drongos.