Video portrait of the Pileated Woodpecker video set to music.
Posted on:
February 12, 2010
Tag Archive: bird video
Spatuletail Courting Display
Video of the Spatuletail’s amazing courtship display. This rare humminbird inhabits the highlands of Peru.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/spatuletail-courting-display/
The Club-winged Manakin Uses Violin Like Wings to Attract Mate
Most animals communicate by singing, howling, croaking, or speaking. Some animals use other sounds too- whistling, clapping, drumming, or rattling, for example. The rattlesnake sends a threatening message by rattling its tail, a Ruffed Grouse produces a dull thudding sound with its wings to court a mate, and a woodpecker drums out its territorial signal on a hollow tree.
Birds often use their wings and other body parts to make sounds, but Manakins are the planet’s preeminent wing-popping, clicking, snapping, and rattling birds. Found in the tropical forests from Mexico to Argentina., 20 species of manakin make nonvocal sounds, or sonations. Male manakins take the prize for the most diverse and interesting nonvocal sounds produced in the bird world.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/club-winged-manakin-violin-wings/
Sharp-Tailed Grouse battle to breed
The foothills of northern Wyoming’s Big Horn mountains are home to the Sharp-Tailed Grouse and their mating arena known as a “lek”. Thirty male and female Sharp-Tailed Grouse gather on this small baseball diamond sized grassy hilltop. The grouse live in communities with up to two dozen males “displaying” in one Lek. A community’s Lek is used for years… even decades.
Each morning, just before dawn, males stake out territories of less than 10 square meters, on which they dance to attract a mate. When rivals approach a territorial boundary, they quickly move from dancing to a tense face to face stand-off. Male Sharp Taled Grouse battle, their wings fan to make themselves appear larger. Their tails quiver with tension. Males in the lek fight for up to 6 hours each day, repeatedly defending from attacks from all sides.
Battles move fast, with attack and counter-attack going by in a blur of feathers. High speed video, slowing time, reveals these battles to be tactical coordinated combat. Beaks, wings and claws become weapons, used with precision. Fights begin with a stab at the head, with the eye comb a frequent target. This fleshy colorful patch above the eye may be engorged or deflated. Combatants partially expand their eye combs during battle, perhaps signaling their readiness to fight. Injury to the eye comb, may reduce a males attractiveness to the opposite sex.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/sharp-tailed-grouse/
Wing Sync – Bird Bits Video Series #9
Live-action edition of “Bird Bits,” with a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the latest Boy Bird Band in the making. No inappropriate language or themes – clean comedy.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/wing-sync-bird-bits-video-series-9/
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/stuff-we-like/cardinal-video/
Slow motion video of birds taking flight
This slow motion video clip of birds taking flight shows another wing design and flight pattern.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/slow-motion-video-of-birds-taking-flight/
Posted on:
September 4, 2009
Beautiful Toucan – National Geographic Video
The Toucan family is comprised of 37 species, concentrated in South America, but found as far north as Mexico. Toucans are very noisy members of the jungle population. They live in small communities and loudly make noises that sound like the croaks of frogs. They nest in tree holes, laying two to four eggs, which are incubated by both parents.
Toucans are herbivores, eating mostly berries and seeds. The Toucan’s enormous bill, is not used as a weapon, nor does it offer them an advantage when gathering food. The meaning and use of the toucan’s bill remains a mystery to scientists.
Strange fact about Toucans – in Central and South America they are associated with evil spirits, with some believing the the birds to be the incarnation of demons.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/beautiful-toucan-national-geographic-video/
Crow Adopts Kitten (video)
An unlikely friendship between a kitten and a crow. Video from Animal Planet. Please keep your cats inside.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/crow-adopts-kitten-video/
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