WEEKEND REFLECTIONS AND THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

Time for WeekendReflections and The Weekend Roundup and the letter is J and Juxtaposition.  Well I thought how am I going to find a photo for this word!  All my photographs are taken at the Cairns Show.  So the first 2 show riders are JUMPING over fences.  Now JUXTAPOSTION is the act or an instance of placing 2 or more things side by side to compare or contrast and I found 2 photos to fit the bill. (I think).  The first one is 2 Eclectus parrots . The JUXTAPOSITION between the brilliant emerald green plumage of the male and the deep red/purple plumage of the female is so marked that the birds were, until the early 20th century, considered to be different species. 

Usually when birds exhibit reversed sexual dimorphism, it comes with a sex role reversal, in which the males who usually gather food are left to incubate eggs, while the female forages. It is important to note that in the Eclectus, no such sex role reversal occurs. The male still forages, while the female incubates the eggs. Research has shown this dimorphism with no role reversal is a product of the rare nest hollows, and the selective pressures that accompany this.

It is thought that sexual selection has affected these birds in this way in order to provide camouflage for the male, while making the female a beacon, which is not what is usually seen in sexually dimorphic birds.[4] Good nesting sites are rare to come by, so the female's bright coloration alerts other males to females with hollows in the area, with whom they can then mate. It also serves as a signal to other females that the nesting site is occupied

 The male is primarily responsible for obtaining food for the female and chicks, so his green coloration provides adequate camouflage from predators, such as peregrine falcons, while he is in the rainforest canopy in search of food. The male also has UV coloration in his feathers, which allows him to appear extra radiant to females, who are able to visualize the UV spectrum, yet remain camouflaged to predators who cannot. This unique coloration is evidence of an evolutionary compromise between the need to attract and compete for mates, and the risk of predation.

Usually when birds exhibit reversed sexual dimorphism, it comes with a sex role reversal, in which the males who usually gather food are left to incubate eggs, while the female forages. It is important to note that in the Eclectus, no such sex role reversal occurs. The male still forages, while the female incubates the eggs. Research has shown this dimorphism with no role reversal is a product of the rare nest hollows, and the selective pressures that accompany this.

It is thought that sexual selection has affected these birds in this way in order to provide camouflage for the male, while making the female a beacon, which is not what is usually seen in sexually dimorphic birds.[4] Good nesting sites are rare to come by, so the female's bright coloration alerts other males to females with hollows in the area, with whom they can then mate. It also serves as a signal to other females that the nesting site is occupied

 The male is primarily responsible for obtaining food for the female and chicks, so his green coloration provides adequate camouflage from predators, such as peregrine falcons, while he is in the rainforest canopy in search of food. The male also has UV coloration in his feathers, which allows him to appear extra radiant to females, who are able to visualize the UV spectrum, yet remain camouflaged to predators who cannot. This unique coloration is evidence of an evolutionary compromise between the need to attract and compete for mates, and the risk of predation. 

Below is my second photo to illustrate JUXTAPOSITION.

This is my granddaughter stroking one of the calves and I am linking it to James’s STREET PHOTOGRAPHY meme.  

I appreciate your visit and comments.

 I hope you enjoyed this post today.