Spring is lekking season for the black grouse. In the early morning, the male birds, like this fancy fella in Finland, gather on lek sites, often a patch of open ground, to put on a show for the ladies in the audience. The guys flash their white tail feathers, utter cooing and hissing noises, flutter-jump, and pick fights with each other—all to demonstrate their dominance to the watching hens. (Hens are smaller and have gray-brown feathers.) When a hen picks out the male she likes, the two fly off to mate and then go their separate ways. Love connections are brief in the black grouse world.
I m here! Take a look at me!
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Remembering Krakatoa
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Incense making, Vietnam
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Sunbeams across Tartu County, Estonia
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Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
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Mountains fit for a queen
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Mid-Autumn Festival
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Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan Province, China
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The puffin-rabbit connection
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Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Al-Khazneh in Petra, Jordan
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Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
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A march toward a dream
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Black bear cub emerging into spring
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Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
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Let s celebrate cephalopods
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A different view of sharks
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An icy extravaganza
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Spread some love with Bing
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World Rivers Day
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Celebrating Flag Day: ‘O long may it wave’
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Cherry blossoms spring to life
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Happy Easter from the ‘peeps’ at Bing
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A holiday beacon of light
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Autumn in the cypress swamp
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Belize Barrier Reef
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Glendurgan Garden hedge maze is 186 years old
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Red Planet Day
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Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba
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The roots of invention
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Tree of many colors