Wise finches opt for the unisex look

Male finches may try to appear unisex to avoid conflict

source: New Scientist April 3 1999 p27

Long-tailed finches have been studied in an aviary, by University of Bristol's Andy Bennett, and Cambridge University's Naomi Langmore. Both sexes of these birds look similar, and they only reveal their sex through the way they behave. Male finches were found to hide their sex if they were in the presence of dominant males, or a group of birds that they did not know. This could be one way for flocks of birds to reduce their levels of conflict.
BI,BT