Strutting his stuff

Charles Darwin spent much time in trying to understand why male animals are so often brightly coloured and/or richly ornamented. He came to the conclusion that, for some reason, females are most attracted to particularly spectacular males and thus such males are reproductively the most successful. In his 1871 book The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, Darwin writes.

‘‘We are, however, here concerned only with that kind of selection, which I have called sexual selection. This depends on the advantage which certain individuals have over other individuals of the same sex and species, in exclusive relation to reproduction.’’

What the cockerel is saying is, "Well girls, am I handsome, or am I handsome?

The reason as to why hens should be attracted to particularly colourful cockerels is another story!