Editing Feather (section)

==== Tail Length ====
Tail length is another example of feathers playing a role in mate choice, as seen in the [[long-tailed widowbird]] (''Euplectes progne''). The males of this species have extremely long tail feathers during the mating season, which correlates with higher success in attracting mates<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Andersson |first=Malte |date=October 1982 |title=Female choice selects for extreme tail length in a widowbird |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/299818a0 |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=299 |issue=5886 |pages=818–820 |doi=10.1038/299818a0 |bibcode=1982Natur.299..818A |issn=1476-4687}}</ref>. In a famous study testing the correlation between tail length and [[Fitness (biology)|fitness]], male widowbirds had their tail lengths artificially shortened or elongated and those with elongated tails had higher mating success. It was alternatively proposed that longer ornamental feathers played a role in territory defense and intrasexual competition, as a way of displaying dominance, but there was  no substantial evidence supporting this theory<ref name=":3" />.