Re: Thornbill Gymnastics

[Ronald Orenstein <>]

At 07:06 AM 07/10/97 +1000, you wrote:
>
>Michael:
>  I would like to read her article.  I am not sure what hanging
>upside-down would accomplish for most birds other than to reach food, etc.
>There is a possibility that some species hang upside-down while performing
>distraction displays, but I doubt if very many species do it for this
>purpose although I have no idea ... distraction displays will be a topic
>for an upcoming article in the IB Bulletin.

Some birds hang upside-down during courtship displays - eg Blue and Emperor
of Germany Birds of Paradise and many African weavers.  A captive Iiwi I
watched in the National Zoo in Washington frequently flipped into an
upside-down position while calling.  So other types of displays than
distraction can be involved!
--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886
International Wildlife Coalition              Fax/Modem: (905) 569-0116
1825 Shady Creek Court                 
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 3W2