Many species of birds perform elaborate courtship dances to attract a mate. These intricate displays demonstrate fitness, coordination, and vitality to potential partners. Here are some of the most spectacular avian dancers:
Blue-Crowned Manakin
This tiny rainforest bird is best known for the male’s moonwalking skills. He dances backwards across a branch, snapping his wings and legs like an ’80s pop star. The faster the moonwalk, the more attractive he is to females. Blue-crowned manakins form leks where dozens of males compete through dance offs.
Riflebird
The aptly named riflebird of Australia and New Guinea perches upright and shakes his wings so quickly that they make a snapping sound. He points his beak straight up and tosses flower petals above himself while calling loudly. Like manakins, male riflebirds gather in leks to display in groups.
Ruff
These Old World wading birds look like pompoms on stilts. Male ruffs grow elaborate ornamental neck feathers and compete in leks during breeding season. The dominant male defends his courtship ground while satellite males try to sneak copulations when the top male is distracted.
Red-Capped Manakin
To impress females, male red-capped manakins perform amoonwalk and form1.1. partnerships. One member of the duo flies in circles emitting mechanical snapping sounds with his wings ,while the partner dances on a branch below. These collaborations increase their odds of attracting mates.
Greater Sage-Grouse
Each spring, male sage-grouse congregate in leks to strut their stuff. They inflate large air sacs in their chests, spread their spiky tails into a big fan, and pop their feathers out. As they stomp and twirl, they make loud hooting sounds. Dominant males mate with most visiting females.
Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise
This flamboyant rainforest bird has an elaborate courting routine. He hangs upside-down waving his cape-like feathers, until finally revealing his iridescent blue crown feathers. Meanwhile, he makes crying and whooping sounds. His dance is so taxing that dominant males lose a third of their body weight while displaying each mating season.
Jackson’s Widowbird
Male Jackson’s widowbirds take aerobatic displays to another level. They soar to great heights then dive down while flapping slowly, eventually gliding out of the plunge to avoid hitting the ground. This death-defying aerial dance signals virility and good genes to females down below.
White-Collared Manakin
For these small yellow and black manakins, Dance Dance Revolution is a way of life. Males form cooperative pairs and take turns jumping from one thin sapling to another, until it looks like they are dancing on a trampoline. The male that can keep up this fast footwork the longest wins the esteem of females.
Buff-Breasted Sandpiper
Each spring, these high Arctic shorebirds return from South America to breed. Males vault several feet into the air with exaggerated fluttering wings to signal their arrival. As they call loudly, groups of rival males chase each other across the tundra in displays of athleticism.
Long-Tailed Manakin
To impress mates, male long-tailed manakins moonwalk at each other and collaborate on a two-part mechanical vocalization that sounds like a ping-pong ball bouncing. They also perform a complex hopping dance routine involving manoeuvres like somersaults and 360 degree turns.
Birds of Paradise
This family of birds features diverse and elaborate courtship dances to show off gorgeous plumage. Displays include upside-down hanging, hopping, spinning, and waving of dramatically long feathers. Hybrid species like the Count Raggi’s bird-of-paradisecombine moves from multiple dances.
Wattled Crane
These tall African cranes engage in an elegant and stately dance as a pair. With wings spread wide, they bow, leap, run, pivot, and bounce together. Sometimes, they toss pieces of grass into the air. They are the only cranes that form lifelong pair bonds.
Lekking Behavior
Many dancing birds like manakins and grouse perform on communal display grounds called leks rather than on individual territories. Lekking behavior leads to intensified sexual selection, as females can easily observe multiple competitive males in one place. Dominant lekking males can mate with the majority of females.
Duetting
Some tropical species like barbets and antbirds rely on male-female duets rather than dancing. Pairs sing coordinated songs together, timing their parts carefully to indicate their compatibility. These duets help maintain the pair bond and defend territory.
Why Birds Dance
Birds primarily dance to attract mates and compete with rivals. Their dances display physical prowess, coordination, endurance, and health. Females assess males based on the vigor, virtuosity, and persistence of their performance. Dominant, fit males tend to dance the longest and have the most elaborate moves.
Parallels to Human Dance
Like humans, many bird species use dance for pair formation and social hierarchies. Dance is deeply ingrained in avian biology as a test of fitness for reproduction. Birds that dance poorly or not at all often fail to find mates. The parallels between human and avian dancing suggest an evolutionary origin for this ancient, nearly universal form of courtship.
Conclusion
Dance is an integral courtship behavior for many birds. Male birds like manakins, grouse, and birds-of-paradise execute vigorous, acrobatic dancing displays to impress prospective mates with their physical prowess. These ritualized performances demonstrate health, strength, and vitality in ways that benefit the breeding success of fitter males. The links between bird and human dancing hint at evolutionary origins of dance as a means of sexual selection.
