Wellington Zoo has revealed a drastic change in appearance undertaken by Patrick, their female Himalayan Monal.
"Over the last couple of months, Patrick has been growing colourful, metallic feathers around her head and body that are typically only found on male monals," the zoo wrote in a Facebook post.
It said research shows that when a female bird gets past the prime age for breeding, it starts to lose estrogen and "develop male bird characteristics".
One commentor dubbed the change "post-monalpausal", another claimed the same process in hens is referred to as "henopause".
"We are thrilled to be able to share this unique moment with all of our visitors and to raise awareness about the diversity of animal behaviour and biology," the zoo said.
"We hope this story inspires you to celebrate diversity in all forms and to show love and compassion to all creatures, great and small."
SHARE ME