Ornithologists have long known that certain species of birds are capable of making single sounds and even singing not only with the larynx, but also with other parts of the body. For example, rhythmically clicking the beak. And some birds went further and learned to publish their mating songs with their tail. Among them are Anna's snipe and hummingbirds.
Snipe
The snipe is a medium-sized bird, about 25-30 cm in size. It has a straight, sharp and very long beak. She prefers swamps, lakesides, damp meadows and tundra. Prefers a subarctic and temperate climate for nesting. Arranges nests on the ground in small pits.
This bird is also called "forest lamb", "heavenly lamb" or "god's goat" for the characteristic sounds that male snipe make during mating mating. During this period, the snipe rises to a height of 100 m and dives down from there. Falling, he folds his wings a little and trembles them. At the same time, the snipe is kept open. Then the male turns over in the air, and the feathers of his tail begin to vibrate in the air stream, making a sound reminiscent of the bleating of a ram.
Anna's hummingbird
Anna's hummingbird, or rather Anna's calipta, is a bird of the hummingbird family. The bird got its name in honor of Anna Massena, Duchess de Rivoli, whose husband was an amateur ornithologist. The bird is found throughout the Pacific coast of the United States. Like all representatives of this species, Anna's calypta is very small in size - only 10 cm.
Males of Anna's hummingbirds can sing with their larynx, but during mating, sounds that are attractive to females are emitted by their tail. For this, the male rises to a height of about 30 m and dives along a concave arc towards the female. At the same time, he flies against the sunlight in order to demonstrate to his chosen one all the beauty of his purple plumage.
Flying over the female, he abruptly spreads his tail, which he had only maneuvered before. At this moment, its flight speed reaches 80 km / h, and the outer sides of the tail feathers begin to vibrate finely, like a clarinet cane. At the same time, a very shrill and sharp whistle is heard. Its frequency is about 4 kHz and it lasts only 1/20 of a second.
Other types of birds
It should be noted that not only these species of birds use the tail in their mating songs. According to the observations of ornithologists, the Virginia nightjar, also called crepuscular, is capable of producing sounds similar to the "bleating" of a snipe. And the widow of paradise shakes and rustles her tail, using it as musical accompaniment. It uses its plumage and pyrotail in a similar way.
In addition, there are some representatives of the snipe family, about whose current singing scientists still argue. For example, it is not clear what the origin of the mating song of the hornbeam is - guttural or caudal.
