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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Happy 50th for the National Trails System!
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A national icon
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The Zugspitze: Germany s highest point
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Longer days mean warmer sand
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Pandas pucker up for International Kissing Day
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Is that a face in the sand?
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It s time to fall back
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Whales in winter
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Meet the slowest flirt in the animal world
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A legend and a legendary home
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I see one!
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Welcome to the drainpipe of the Pacific
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Reflecting on one of the world s strangest rivers
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A unique perspective from Italy’s ‘golden sands’
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A peek behind the royal curtain
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International Zebra Day
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At the gates of the ksar
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And they’re off!
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Wind horses carry wishes for a new year
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The circular castle of Cornwall
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Oymyakon, Russia
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Weaverbird nests at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve
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Three cheers for polar bears!
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Go Fly a Kite Day
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Kiteboarding and windsurfing in Croatia
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World Art Day
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Manatee Appreciation Day
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High seas commerce
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75th anniversary of the Spruce Goose
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International Kissing Day