With a name like ‘widowbird,’ you’d expect this dusky male to have a low-key love life. But those 20-inch-long tail feathers are highly favored by females, even though they can make it difficult for the males to fly on windy days. The display has been the subject of much study regarding sexually selected traits and the tradeoffs between physical constraint and attracting a mate, since the tail feathers don’t seem to aid in flight and may even cause a hinderance. Ah, the things we do for love.
Longtailed widowbird at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Take the stairs
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The tortoise and the finch
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Bournemouth beach huts
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Alaska Bald Eagle Festival
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Rising up from the black sand like rock gods
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Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
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Thomas Edison s bright idea
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Antarctica Day
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Red squirrel
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Bavljenac Island
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Let s run em up!
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Grab onto the handlebars, kid
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What’s blooming in New Zealand?
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Just another day in paradise
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A universe underground
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China s colorful terraced pools
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Happy birthday, Capitol Reef National Park
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Monarch butterflies migrate south
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All is silent for Big Ben’s musical milestone
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In praise of bogs, swamps, and marshes
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The view will stop you in your tracks
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Mardi Gras flower power
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Mooncake time
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The fantastic winter fox
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A shell of many colors
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Rumelihisarı in Istanbul, Türkiye
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Kings of the Kalahari
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Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
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Field of Light at Sensorio by Bruce Munro
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Lantern Festival