The core idea of Charles Darwin’s theory of sexual selection is beauty preference selection. It was conceived as a companion to natural selection to help explain birds’ colourful plumage and behaviours for beauty. However, British naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace strongly objected to this idea, saying it adds another principle to the principle of natural selection and hence betrays Darwinism. Chenguang Lu, Associate Professor at Changsha University, suggests that male birds’ beautiful features are based on mimicry of essential food resources and environments. First, nature or needing relationships selected female birds’ beauty preferences (or tastes), which later selected male birds’ beautiful features. This completes the link between beauty preference selection and natural selection and can explain the diversity of colours, shapes, and behaviours used in mating rituals.

Introduction