Moonwalking with the Birds

When ornithologist Kimberly Bostwick isn't curating Cornell's Museum of Vertebrates, she's in the forests of South and Central America watching birds. She studies manakins, a group of diverse species including this Red-capped Manaking that incorporates "moonwalking" into his courtship display. Kim gives a demonstration, with the help of her feathery partner.




Take a short "field trip" outside your house and look at the birds in your neighborhood, or at a local park. Watch them and see if they do any dances. If they do, can you figure out the steps? Maybe it's a dance you can teach your friends.

There are some tiny shorebirds called "moonbirds" that fly astronomical distances during their migration. But they don't moonwalk. Check out other STEM Friday posts here.