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    The evolutionary value of ‘artistic‘ skills when predators are few

    The magnificent riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus) has evolved in a habitat largely free of predators and other existential threats. This relatively peaceful environment has allowed the male, and his fellows in the New Guinea birds-of-paradise family, to develop some of the most vibrantly colourful plumage and flamboyant mating rituals in the world. The Magnificent Riflebird’s Crazy Courtship Dance shows the fascinating, surprising paths evolution can sometimes take, and the value of an ‘artistic’ skill set in certain corners of the animal kingdom.

    Video by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Jungles in Paris

    21 September 2015
    A small bird with black, white and yellow plumage singing while perched on a branch in a green forest setting

    videoEvolution

    This bird-of-paradise in New Guinea sounds like something from another planet

    4 minutes

    A male bird-of-paradise displaying its dark black plumage with a striking blue breast in a rainforest setting.

    videoEvolution

    Do the Volgelkop bop: how a newly discovered bird-of-paradise dazzles his mate

    1 minute

    Five brown birds perched on a branch in a forest with a black bird displaying its wings on the ground below.

    videoBiology

    A bird-of-paradise must become a lord of the dance to woo a discerning mate

    2 minutes

    A vibrant bird with golden yellow and bright red feathers, perched on the ground amid dry, dark twigs and foliage.

    videoEvolution

    Dilating pupils, wheezes and head-butts: the male bowerbird’s tips for seduction

    4 minutes

    Bright yellow bird building a nest with grass on a branch surrounded by green leaves.

    videoEngineering

    For one of nature’s great builders, finding a mate means weaving the perfect nest

    4 minutes

    Close-up of a colourful peacock spider with iridescent markings on its body, standing on a wooden surface.

    videoEvolution

    Dance or die! A male spider must impress a female with his moves, or be eaten

    4 minutes

    A large eagle with outspread wings is flying over a lush green forest, showcasing its feathers in detail against the blurred backdrop.

    videoBiology

    Journey deep into the Philippine forest in search of the world’s largest, rarest eagle

    95 minutes

    A lizard resting on a lichen-covered rock basking in the sun with a blurred green background.

    videoEvolution

    How multicoloured side-blotched lizards put game theory into evolutionary action

    3 minutes

    A man in a forest with a falcon on his gloved arm at sunrise or sunset, light filtering through trees, with blue flowers.

    videoSports and games

    Why falconers believe a bird of prey in action is still a wonder worth beholding

    4 minutes