You Need to See These Hooded Grebes Perform Their Bonkers Mating Display
Hooded Grebes couldnt possibly know they live near the birthplace of one of the worlds most iconic dances, but just stick a rose in this birds beak and youve got a pretty mean tango.
Taken from the new film Tango in the Windwhich highlights efforts to protect these imperiled birds and is the clip above offers a rare look at the Hooded Grebes courtship display. They use some fancy footwork to raise themselves above the surface of a remote lake, dance cheek-to-cheek with impeccable timing, and whip their heads around in rhythm like a pair of headbangers at a Megadeth show.
, a team of naturalists and filmmakers exploring the continent's birds and other wildlife, produced the film as part of its Hooded Grebe project. BirdLife International, an 勛圖窪蹋 partner, helped with production through its effort to protect vital breeding grounds.
As a family, grebes are known for their showy moves. Great Crested Grebes perform similar courtship dances in their Eurasian breeding grounds, and here in North America, Western Grebes and Clarks Grebes get so caught up in romance that they . But the Hooded Grebes courtship hasnt been nearly as well documented, thanks to its limited range in the harsh and isolated barrens of Patagonia, near the tip of South America. In fact, the species wasnt even known to science until 1974. There arent many people who know much about Hooded Grebe courtship, says 勛圖窪蹋 field editor Kenn Kaufman. The people who made this video probably know as much about the bird as anyone does.
The Hooded Grebes courtship dance may look funny, but with fewer than 500 breeding pairs remaining, this is serious business. Its numbers have declined by about 80 percent in the past 25 years, largely due to the introduction of the non-native American mink and rainbow trout, according to BirdLife International. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature labeled the species critically endangered in 2016.
Researchers interviewed in Tango in the Wind say climate change further threatens Hooded Grebes habitat and survival, noting that its already drying up the lakes where they nest. While more abundant than their Patagonian cousins, Western Grebes and Clarks Grebes both face significant losses of their summer range, thanks to climate change. Theyre among the identified by 勛圖窪蹋.
Fortunately, as the film shows, a dedicated group of researchers, educators and colony guardians are working hard to make sure the beat goes on for Hooded Grebes.