Shape Shifting: and the Birds-of-Paradise | Cornell / National Geographic

Several kinds of birds-of-paradise transform their bodies into a dark oval shape when they display. Each species uses a different assortment of feathers on the wings, flank, or neck. They use muscles in the skin to move the feathers into position. The black shape serves as a background for showing off a bright patch of iridescent color to the females. The Cornell Lab’s Ed Scholes explains: . Filmed and photographed by Tim Laman.

There are currently seventy-two short films in the entire Birds-of-Paradise Project playlist, ranging from 26 seconds to 8:29. In the upcoming weeks, we will present some of our favorites.

A film from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you.  [Chuck Almdale]