Researcher Builds Bird "Fembot" to Study Mating

The male sage-grouse isn’t too picky about mates. Researchers have observed the bird trying to woo unusual objects — even cow patties in the field.

Now the males are duped by researcher Gail Patricelli’s bird robot, which is fairly convincing despite the wheels instead of legs. Patricelli is using the feathered fembot to learn about mating rituals of the greater sage-grouse.

While 90 percent of birds are monogamous, the sage-grouse falls into the 10 percent with a polar opposite strategy. They try to mate with as many females as possible.

With the robot, Patricelli can “get into a two-way interaction with the male.”

“It allows us to answer questions that would be impossible to answer without a robot,” Patricelli said.

Patricelli’s robot, equipped with a small microphone and video camera, will record the males’ behavior from the female’s point of view. “It allows us to get inside a real female’s head basically — to see what she sees and hear what she hears when she’s being courted,” Patricelli said.

Patricelli tested the robot prototype in Wyoming last spring.
“The males liked her quite well,” Patricelli said.

The prototype, about the size of a football with a tail, is still a little bigger than an actual female sage-grouse. The robot is nicknamed “Mama Cass” for her rotund figure. Patricelli will continue tweaking the design to make it more compact.

(via)