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This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I'm Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute.

It's one of the oldest moves in teen dating. Head to a scary movie. As soon as the scary music kicks in, your date cuddles closer for comfort. Well, some birds may have the same idea. Splendid fairy-wrens² are small, sexually promiscuous³ birds native to Australia. It turns out that males get the attention of potential mates by making their move after a predator⁴ announces its presence. The research was published in the journal Behavioral Ecology.

That's the sound of butcherbirds, which prey⁵ on splendid wrens. Every time male wrens hear that cry, they sing this in response. Researchers say the calls become layered atop one another, almost like a duet.

The scientists tested the response of female wrens by playing recorded bird calls. They played just the male fairy-wren¹ call. Then they played the trill of the wrens singing immediately after the butcherbirds. The females became significantly more alert—looking to the sound or singing in response—after hearing the two calls together than they did if they heard just the wren. And so for both teens and wrens, a bit of fear might help a guy get the chick.

Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American's 60-Second Science, I'm Cynthia Graber.