Biology
Mating Strategies and Sperm Competition in Promiscuous Bird Species
Quick fact
In species like the superb fairy-wren, females mate with up to eight males, yet the last male to mate often fathers most of the chicks—a pattern called last-male sperm precedence.
Why this is interesting
When a female bird mates with several males in a single breeding season, the real contest isn't in the trees—it's a microscopic battle royal inside her body. Who wins?