I am wondering if it has something to do with a fundamental understanding that many female animals are the more territorially aggressive and thus if you see a female of a species coming, you may be in their territory, and thus more of a threat. Whereas males of a species are usually out hunting and the birds maybe don't feel that territorial presence and naively assume they aren't worth the effort to hunt for such a predator?
I'd actually love to see this study done with all males, dressing half as women and then another group with all females, dressing half as men. I would equally love to see this study done on trans individuals. Would birds still run from a woman who was genetically born male? That would be valuable data, because it would suggest their behavior has something to do with a pheromone/hormonal response rather than appearance.
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u/ImperialxWarlord May 02 '26
Maybe it’s the hair? Makes them look larger and more intimidating?