Birds with long tail feathers and impressive colors use their tails to attract mates or effectively display their strength.
1. Thin-tailed Astrapia bird
Astrapia belongs to the bird of paradise family. The male uses two special long tail feathers to impress the female. These feathers can be nearly a meter long. This is the bird with the longest tail feathers compared to body size. Found in the western central highlands of Papua New Guinea, Astrapia birds are among the group that are nearly extinct due to poaching for their tail feathers.
Photo: markaharper1/Wikipedia.
2. Marvelous spatuletail hummingbird
In terms of eye-catching feather shape, the Marvelous spatuletail hummingbird is always highly appreciated. The male has only four tail feathers, two of which are long, crossed, and have a light purple disk at the end. This hummingbird uses its tail feathers to show off its strength.
Photo: Dan Lebbin/Youtube.
3. The rowing bird flaps its tail
The Marvelous spatuletail is not the only bird with a racket-shaped tail. The bunting is a medium-sized Asian bird, easily recognizable by its prominent tail feathers that curve slightly at the end.
Photo: Sandeep Gangadharan/Wikipedia.
4. Long-tailed Whydah bird
The Whydah bird has a sparrow-like appearance and really stands out thanks to its long, straight tail feathers. They have the habit of giving birth through birth. The female lays her eggs in another bird’s nest. Parents of different species will raise their chicks. Males’ tail feathers can be three times longer than their bodies, but they only show these feathers during the breeding season.
Photo: Bernard DUPONT/Wikipedia.
5. Lady Amherst pheasant
This animal is native to southwest China and Myanmar. Lady Amherst pheasants are rare in the wild because they prefer to live in dense undergrowth. The male has beautiful tail feathers with many patterns and colors that easily attract attention from the female.
Photo: Katoosha/Shutterstock.
6. Birds and birds
Ornithologists live in Australia. Males need 7 years for their tail feathers to fully develop. When courting, the male flips his 16 tail feathers over his head, forming a veil.
Photo: Fir0002/Wikipedia.
7. Blue-browed Motmot bird
The blue-browed motmot is a bird native to Central America. This bird is easy to recognize thanks to its black and turquoise plumage. Both the male and female have beautiful tails with two long, racket-shaped feathers.
Photo: My Lit’l Eye/Shutterstock.
8. Seven-colored pheasant
The seven-colored pheasant is closely related to the Lady Amherst pheasant. The tail feathers of this species are black and yellow brown, with bright red points at the base.
Photo: SergeBertasiusPhotography/Shutterstock.
9. Resplendent Quetzal
Resplendent Quetzal is concentrated in southern North America and Central America. This is the bird on the national flag of Guatemala. The male has tail feathers more than 60 cm long.
Photo: Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock.
10. Indian peacock
This is probably the bird with the most beautiful tail feathers. Indian peacocks are famous for their widely spread tail feathers, accounting for 60% of their total body length. Each long feather has an “eye” at the end.
Photo: guentermanaus/Shutterstock.