The Stridulating Bird

Ah, the advantages of the internet...

I spotted this in today's (paper) Times:

An Ecuadorian mountain bird that “sings” with its wings has been a source of intrigue since Darwin’s time, but only now have scientists determined how the unique courtship song is generated.

The club-winged manakin’s singing ability lies in adapted wing feathers that act like tuning forks, producing a high-pitched, clear ring when vibrated at the correct frequency, according to new research.

“They’re just like any other small cute bird, and then they throw their wings over their back and make this sound that is totally out of this world,” said Kimberly Bostwick, who has been working on sound production in manakins since 1995.

But it's only when you go online that you can actually watch - and hear - the bird, in action. Even better (you miss out on the sponsor's advert) check it out with Carl Zimmer. Or just listen here:

This method of sound production, known as stridulating, is familiar from the insect world - crickets, for instance - but the manakin is the only vertebrate known to create sound in this way.

Comments

[Dom]

Wonderful!

But I thought mourning doves made their whistling sounds by flapping their wings. Not that "mourning" noise we all know, but the one you hear when they take off. Or isn't that considered singing?

[Mick H]

I wouldn't know about that: American birds. Outside my area of expertise.
It says here - http://www.all-birds.com/Mourning-Dove.htm - that the whistling sound is made when air passes through the wing feathers. So whatever it is it's not stridulating.

[Jon Richfield]

Ummm... "This method of sound production, known as stridulating, is familiar from the insect world - crickets, for instance - but the manakin is the only vertebrate known to create sound in this way."

Well, what I ma about to describe is not courting, but some snakes stridulate by rubbing scales together and they have more vertebrae than birds! To my certain knowledge from personal observation and reading, the African egg-eater, non-venomous and non-hissing, "hisses" by rustling in that way.
I have read of other snakes that do that, though I cannot remember which.

Fwiw,

Jon Richfield