It’s one of the oldest moves in teen dating. Head to a scary movie. As soon as the scary music ____1____, your date cuddles closer for comfort. Well, some birds may have the same idea. Splendid fairy-wrens are small, sexually ____2____ birds native to Australia. It turns out that males get the attention of potential mates by making their move after a predator announces its presence. The research was published in the journal Behavioral Ecology.

[Bird sound] That’s the sound of butcher-birds, which ____3____ splendid wrens. Every time male wrens hear that cry, they sing this in response [wren sound]. Researchers say the calls become layered atop one another, almost like a duet.

The scientists tested the response of female wrens by playing recorded bird calls. They played just the male fairy-wren call. Then they played the ____4____ of the wrens singing immediately after the butcher-birds. The females became significantly more ____5____—looking to the sound or singing in response—after hearing the two calls together than they did if they heard just the wren. And so for both teens and wrens, a bit of fear might help a guy get the chick.
【視聽版科學(xué)小組榮譽出品】