Watch: The Male Costa’s Hummingbird Puts On One Wild Mating Display
The behavior is rarely seen, and it's one of the more dramatic examples of courtship in the bird world.
When it comes to dating, the male Costa's Hummingbird really has to go above and beyond.听In this听clip from a new 听airing tonight, one eager male听reveals a mating听display that's equal parts听shocking, impressive, and somewhat terrifying. While the听look might seem bizarre even for the听world of birds,听for the female Costa鈥檚, it鈥檚 simply irresistible.
Like most avian suitors, male Costa鈥檚 Hummingbirds are experts at showboating. Typically, though, they听woo their mates by hovering in the air before听nosediving while giving off a high-pitched whistle. The mating behavior shown in this听Nature preview is actually quite rare to see, says Kenn Kaufman, bird expert and 爆料公社听field editor. 鈥淚 lived in Arizona for a long time and had Costa's Hummingbirds in the backyard, and I only glimpsed this kind of display a couple of times at a distance,鈥 he says. Kaufman听thinks the display might be听used听during peak courtship, just before the pair copulates. That said, the female in this video doesn鈥檛 seem .
All that tentacle waving鈥攄efinitely not the scientific name for it鈥攃an be听exhausting, so it wouldn't be听surprising if the听male saves it until the very end. 鈥淭his is a truly impressive aerodynamic feat, and is also very demanding considering the speed at which [the birds] perform it,鈥 says Alejandro Rico-Guevera, a hummingbird researcher听who鈥檚 featured in the episode. He explains that for the Costa鈥檚 to pull off the stunt,听it must keep its beak open to increase oxygen flow. Also, the gorget feathers, which flare out, need to be held at the perfect angle against the sun鈥檚 rays for maximum effect.听
Experts still aren't sure听how the males lift their feathers up,听but both Kaufman and Rico-Guevera agree that it involves flexing the subcutaneous muscles under the birds鈥 skin. Add it to the growing list of听hummingbird super听abilities, from to . See all the footage and learn more during tonight鈥檚 Nature episode (we鈥檒l be from 8 to 9 p.m. EST).