Wes Jansen wrote:

"It has always fascinated me how female kingfishers are more colorful =
than
the males. I wonder how many other birds fit this pattern? My National
Geographic Guide shows the ringed kingfisher female having more markings
than the male (not more color, however), and the green kingfisher with
reversed roles (the male has the rust band). It also appears that some =
of
the trogon species have more colorful females than males. Has anyone
noticed other species with this trait?"

Wes,

Hawks are larger, if not brighter, than the males. The females of many =
shorebirds are larger than the males of the species. =20

At the extreme, the Phalaropes are, to me, the most blatant example of =
matriarchal dominance in the group. The female is not only the more =
brightly colored for the species, but she lays the eggs, then leaves the =
male to incubate and rear the chicks. I've watched the poor male =
Wilson's phalarope male living the live of drudgery, while the females =
are at some sump full of brine shrimp just chowing-down, gabbing with =
her friends and living the "good life".

Another place where this 'reverse discrimination' takes place is with =
the Common Murre, where Mom and Dad each help incubate the single egg =
and feed the hatchling. When the kid is ready to "fledge" (not really, =
the kid can't fly), Mom takes off (for a summer vacation in the San =
Juans) and leaves Dad to deal with this adolescent. The kid jumps from =
the nesting colony rock, and Dad swims with the kid, feeding it and - I =
assume - trying to teach it to feed on its own, up to the Strait of Juan =
de Fuca and the San Juans.... (this behavior, of course, is for most of =
the northern Oregon - and Washington coastal colony(?) - birds; can't =
vouch for the BC birds which may have better upbringing...) The =
females' plumage in this species is, of course, indistinguishable from =
the males'.

Cheers,

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net