how does the job bustard perform it's dance when it begins rainning
Answers
Explanation:
Steeped as we are in our love for dance, we fail to recognise sometimes that we are not alone in the dancing world. Many more species in nature dance as impressively if not more, than man. It is while watching the migratory birds visiting Delhi that urged me to talk of dance in the avian world.
Actually, very few animals really dance - that is to say that they can consistently move to music. I will talk about this in a subsequent column, but for the moment I must point out that the most attractive dancing is by birds.
There is a well-documented case, also a case that was the first to be scientifically explored, of a cockatoo called Snowball. This species come from Australia and New Guinea, where sadly they are regarded as pests. Snowball, with a distinctive, almost punky sulphur crest, had a rare talent. Snowball could dance, nodding and stamping to a variety of tunes, but his especial favourite was the Backstreet Boys tune, "Everybody". Snowball used his skills to appear on TV, initiate neuroscience research and raise funds for disadvantaged children. He was featured on an episode of 'Animals at Work', which described Snowball as a professional dancer. He is still going strong aged almost 23, and continues regularly to entertain special communities like the aged, youth and patients admitted to nursing homes. He has performed in international TV commercials too.
The scientific experiments carried out by two researchers, Drs. Patel and Iversen, at the Neurosciences Institute of La Jolla, California, show without a doubt, that Snowball was an unusually gifted bird, capable of spontaneously dancing to music created by humans, and that he was capable, in a limited sort of but undeniable way, of adjusting his movements to match the tempo of the music, a behaviour previously thought only to occur in humans. At 23, Snowball is still going strong, with many fans who have made him an internet sensation.
What we have always known is that many birds have very impressive courtship dances. Incidentally, the dance that Cockatoos like Snowball do during courtship is different being simpler, more of strutting in the direction of the female with a stiffened crest, while articulating soft guttural sounds. So Snowball's public dance routine is very different, far more complex and mostly in accordance and to the beat of the external source of music.
The birds have several courtship rituals aimed at attracting a receptive mate, of which singing, displaying heightened plumage, showcasing nest building skills, and dancing are but some. However, I must hasten to add that there are several other purposes behind the courtship behaviour of different bird species, including reduction of territorial aggression, and as a means of letting two birds relax so that together they could form a pair bond.
Dancing also helps trigger a bird's reproductive cycle. Some months ago I met George Archibald, a legend among bird watchers and bird scientists, who in 1973 co-founded the International Crane Foundation. So committed was he to revive those of the 15 species of cranes that had dropped drastically in numbers. One such species was the Whooping Crane. In 1976 he managed to get one - a female, but while waiting for a match he had to ensure that the reproductive system would remain alive. For seven years, he lived with the bird, ensuring through dancing with the bird, (for a picture see here) making sure that it was prepped up for mating whenever they found a partner for her. Archibald laughingly referred to his dancing with the Crane called Tex, as Texercise