A female red-back fairy wren

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Hagstrom Report does not normally delve into the world of ornithology, but sometimes news comes our way that we feel compelled to share — and on a Friday in the midst of a government shutdown, we hope the following provides some amusement to our readers while nothing is happening in Washington.

A study by two Cornell University researchers shows that the female red-backed fairywren, a chickadee-type bird found in Australia, is determining the fate of the species by deciding what bird to mate with for life and what birds to cheat with, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says.

“The finding points to the growing understanding that female animals, by choosing their mates, can exert a strong force on the evolution of a species,” the report says.

There are two varieties of red-backed fairywren of Australia: One truly red-backed subspecies in the west, and an orange-backed form in the east. The two overlap in northern Queensland (orange area above) ... where apparently female birds prefer the bright red-back males and have trysts with them, even if mated for life to an orange-back type. (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

• Cornell Chronicle — Philandering fairywrens keeps their species intact
• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology — ‘Chickadees’ of the Outback