Lucca Amorim, Dancing to Impress (ANIMAL 2021)

Throughout the breeding season, Satin bowerbirds go through great lengths to impress a possible partner. Firstly, they build a small straw-made structure which they meticulously decorate with hundreds of blue objects. Then, they practice their mating routines which consist of a fast wing-flapping dance. Females will visit these performance stages and choose a male who is not only talented but also organised. The first image is the rear view from a juvenile practising his mating dance. In the second photo, another juvenile male carefully decorates his structure with a blue bottle cap. In the last image, the young male flaps his wing with speed while having his body near the floor in hopes of attracting a nearby female.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.