"This Backyard Bird Has a Lot to Teach Us about Sex Variability"

[Black]

mrbigstuff wrote:
[quote=$tevie]
[quote=mrbigstuff]
Interesting. But also

"This interesting and complex situation has earned this species the nickname “the bird with four sexes.” But to be clear, White-throated Sparrows do not have four different types of gonads. As in other birds, each individual typically has either two testes that produce sperm or a single ovary that produces eggs."

But the behaviors of the birds can vary with males displaying female traits and females displaying male traits, resulting in that nickname. As you know since you read the entire article.
they are hoping for clicks with that clickbait-y title, which probably could be "male and female traits interchangeable in WTS." I think the focus on plasticity/variability is an attempt to make the article seem topical. The traits aren't really interchangeable and I don't think all that variable past a certain stage of development-- they develop into 4 different sex variations.