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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Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe
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A red knot on the Shetland Islands, Scotland
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I ll call for pen and ink
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Wild garlic in bloom at Hainich National Park, Germany
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Hey, you two in the front!
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American bison, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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Taughannock Falls State Park
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Salmon return to the Copper River
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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
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Nursing the world to health
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Here there be dragons
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Lizard of mystery
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World Penguin Day
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Happy Boxing Day!
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A path into history
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Macro photograph of a migrant hawker dragonfly
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The Old City of Bern
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Tennis in the park
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Hitsujiyama Park, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
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Spring blooms in the Netherlands
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Happy Boxing Day!
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World of WearableArt Awards
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Cuban tody, Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, Cuba
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A bohemian feline
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World Elephant Day
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A star is borne by seaweed
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Replica of a Viking home in Dublin National Botanic Gardens, Ireland
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‘You should see the one that got away!’
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Zion National Park Turns 100
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A growing business