The Secret Language of Animals by Janine M. Benyus

Author:Janine M. Benyus [M. Benyus, Janine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Published: 2014-11-25T16:00:00+00:00

GROUP DISPLAYS. Foreground, clockwise from lower left: Flamingos begin their display by wagging their heads side to side, honking harshly. Next comes a grunting wing salute, a bottoms-up inverted wing salute, or a ritualized preening display. Background: At any moment, the entourage may march forward in a group tango, then just as suddenly stop and trail their bills as if feeding.

False Feeding To add spice to an already strange and beautiful display, hundreds or thousands of marching flamingos will suddenly slow down, bend their necks forward in unison, and trail their bills in the water. Though they do not actually feed, they make chomping movements with their bills for several seconds. When they straighten up again, they pick up the pace of their walking to about two steps per second (fast-forward, flamingo-style).

PAIR FORMATION If you visit regularly, you’ll notice that some birds mate with the same partner year after year, whereas others lead a more promiscuous lifestyle. The group ceremonies give the birds a chance to either reconnect with old flames or start new relationships. You can recognize pairs by their subtle shows of solidarity. For instance, partners will often sleep and feed together, come to each other’s aid, or pretend to feed while walking quickly side by side.

COPULATION Courtship and pair formation displays go on in the group for weeks or months, but most copulating occurs during nest building and just before egg laying. The pair moves away from the group, and the male (the larger of the two birds) begins following the female with a hooking posture. In this instance, the hooking posture is no longer a threat, but a sign of his increasing sexual interest. Before copulating, the female bends her neck in a false-feeding posture. The male, in close pursuit, extends his neck diagonally trying to touch her with his bill or part of his breast. Eventually the female stands still and spreads her wings, signaling, “OK.” The male jumps at the chance, and the two birds copulate by placing their cloacas together for a few seconds. Afterward, they may call together with necks stretched toward the ground in a kind of triumph ceremony.

HUMANS AND FLAMINGOS

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