Lek mating females away from the hotshot. A manipulative experiment using the little bustard, "Tetrax tetrax", was done to test the various lek evolution models. The experiment involved varying the size and sex ratio of leks using decoys. To test whether or not the presence of a hotshot determined lek formation, a hotshot little bustard decoy was placed within a lek. After the fake hotshot was added to the lek, both male and female visitation to the lek increased. The hotspot model considers the female density to be the catalyst for the clustering of males. This model predicts that leks will form
Strange Little Birds "Empty" and "We Never Tell", which he characterized as "gratifying but superfluous detours into the well-trodden", "Strange Little Birds" "emerges as the band's most compelling, adventurous album in 15 years." Luke Winstanley of "Clash" praised the album as "a thrilling synthesis of the band's most endearing features; quasi metal riffing, with Shirley Manson's devilishly seductive croon and huge industrial pop hooks", concluding, "There are a few moments that feel oddly dated or too by-the-numbers, but otherwise, this is an engaging return from the gothic dance-rock four-piece." In a less enthusiastic review, Emily Mackay of "The Observer" called the album a