What are the differences between 男女, 公母, and 雄雌?

Question

In what situations would you use one of the following instead of the others?

男女 nán nǚ

公母 gōng mǔ

雄雌 xióng cí

Is it a matter of formality or is each term confined to a particular field (e.g. biology)?

Answer 1

男女 is used only for humans.

公母 is normally used on animals.

雄雌 is more academic.

公母 is usually used with terms closer to everyday life:

公鸡 / 母鸡 gōngjī / mǔjī for cock / hen

For biological terminology, usually 雄 / 雌 would be used:

雄蕊 / 雌蕊 xióngruǐ / cīruǐ for stamen / carpel

Answer 2

Usually 男女 is used when we are talking about people. 公母 or 雄雌 is used when we are talking about animals.