Nature is amusing, particularly when animals are attempting to attract mates. This Attwater meadow chicken’s mating dance is so silly, watching it decrease will make your day better.
While we would not call this routine mating dance excessive (some birds really make a scene), the strange flourishing sound, the orange pumping up neck sacs, and the feather headdress are all quite reveal off-y. It’s the little tap-tap-tap routine that’ll win your heart, though.
Let’s hope, for this male’s sake, its mating dance wins the heart of a lady meadow chicken, too:
Attwater meadow chickens are seriously endangered. While they used to wander gulf coast prairies throughout Texas and Louisiana, the birds’ numbers dwindled throughout the last century as a result of environment loss, habitat fragmentation, overhunting, and red imported fire ants. Today, according to the USFWS (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service), Attwater prairie chickens just live in 2 Texas counties– Colorado County and Goliad County.
Coastal prairie habitats in the birds’ historic variety took a hit thanks to urbanization, conversion into pastures and croplands, and industrial growth. The USFWS says less than 1% of the approximated 6 million acres of gulf seaside meadow environment remains today.
Since the chances have actually not been in these birds’ favor, it is very important that this silly breeding dance results in a successful pairing, breeding, and birth.
Can’t get enough of the prairie chicken’s mating routine? Here’s a longer video:
This prairie chicken’s mating dance is so silly, it’ll make your day much better. Which part of its jig do you believe will win a hen’s heart?