Dec. 20, 2012 — Deep in the scrublands of
Keoladeo National Park in northwest India, one thing was hard for biologist
Jessica Yorzinski to ignore: It wasn't the heat. It wasn't the jackals. It was
the squawks of peacocks in the throes of passion.
From behind the trees in the distance, she could
hear a loud two-part whoop, the distinctive call that male peacocks make right
before mating.
During the peacock courtship dance, a male
announces that he's ready to make his move by dashing towards the object of his
affection and emitting a singular squawk before mounting his mate.
"Peacocks have a number of different
courtship calls, but this is the only one specifically associated with the
moment before copulation, a time when the female is finally right in front of
the male. It's called the hoot-dash display," said Duke University
researcher Jessica Yorzinski.
The amorous peacock's signature hoot poses a
puzzle for scientists.
For one, he's already got the girl.
"By that point she's already right there,
checking him out. You'd think that he might not need another signal at such a
late stage in the courtship process," Yorzinski said.
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