Strange

Hummingbirds use tail to tweet

by Rob Peters | January 30, 2008 at 12:31 pm

1022 views | 4 Recommendations | 5 comments

"Hey babe, watch this."

Male hummingbirds doing speedy divebombs to impress the ladies use their tails to produce an accompanying love song, according to researchers.

Some had previously thought the high-speed chirping emanated from the bird's throat.

A species of hummingbird makes a chirping noise with its tail feathers, not its throat, a study using high-speed video has suggested.

The loud chirp sound is produced by male Anna's hummingbirds (Calypte anna) as the birds dive towards the ground at speeds that exceed 50mph (80km/h) during their displays for nearby females.

1 See all footage | View Slideshow

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Swan

at 12:47 on January 30th, 2008

Hello Rob,

Now that's something I didn't know. Do you suppose they save their beaks for necking ... I mean pecking?

I managed to find two birds of the exact same species, (Calypte anna) but different colors. I think they're beautiful.

Sources:

Wikimedia

Treebird's Photos

~ Swan

outragousart

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 12:55 on January 30th, 2008

Rob Peters, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Wow, this is very interesting. I have bunches of them come to my feeder each summer. They are a real joy to watch, always putting on a show. I have tried to photograph them, but the shutter lag on my digital camera really makes it difficult.