Animal Qualities
Ring the forest.
Animals grouped here express a similar quality through their behavior in nature. Each species still has its own principle, lesson, meaning, and field-guide page.
18 species
Species principle: Forest Volume
Ring the forest.
A voice can become a force of nature when it carries without apology.
Bare-throated Bellbirds produce extremely loud metallic calls used in courtship and territorial signaling, with males calling from exposed perches.
Species principle: Blue-Foot Signal
Show the blue.
A visible signature becomes strength when it honestly signals vitality.
Blue-footed Boobies use bright blue feet in courtship displays; foot color is linked to condition, and they also plunge-dive for fish.
Species principle: Eyespot Theater
Open the stage.
A hidden forest floor can become a stage when the display is complete.
Male Great Argus pheasants clear display courts and show huge wings covered with eye-like spots during elaborate courtship displays.
Species principle: Golden Presentation
Turn branch to stage.
Attention becomes opportunity when the branch becomes a stage.
Male Greater Birds-of-paradise display long golden flank plumes and perform courtship displays on display perches to attract females.
Species principle: Lek Theater
Enter the arena.
Brightness becomes power when it steps into the arena.
Male Guianan Cock-of-the-rock gather at leks where they display with vivid orange plumage, raised crests, movements, and calls to attract females.
Species principle: Flourish
Roll through color.
A life can announce itself through color, motion, and sky.
Lilac-breasted Rollers are brightly colored birds known for rolling aerial display flights, especially during courtship and territorial behavior in open savannah habitats.
Species principle: Presentation
Make the body the message.
The message changes when the whole body becomes the signal.
Male Long-wattled Umbrellabirds have large crests and long throat wattles used in dramatic courtship displays and booming calls.
Species principle: Ornament
Wear the difference.
Difference becomes beauty when it is carried without apology.
Male Mandarin Ducks have ornate breeding plumage with bright colors and distinctive feather shapes used in courtship display.
Species principle: Display Flight
Tumble the sky.
Joy becomes visible when the body writes loops in the air.
Northern Lapwings perform dramatic aerial display flights with rolling, tumbling, and calling over open fields and breeding territories.
Species principle: Scent Gathering
Gather the perfume.
Beauty is gathered one fragrance at a time by the one who keeps searching.
Male Orchid Bees collect aromatic compounds from orchids and other sources, storing scents in leg structures for use in courtship signaling.
Species principle: Tiny Spectacle
Dance the color.
A small stage can still hold a whole universe of display.
Male Peacock Spiders raise colorful abdominal flaps and perform precise courtship dances with leg movements and vibrations to attract females.
Species principle: Courtship Precision
Moonwalk the branch.
A tiny stage becomes unforgettable when every step has intent.
Male Red-capped Manakins perform rapid courtship displays, including a moonwalk-like sliding dance on branches in the rainforest understory.
Species principle: Preparation
Build the stage.
The stage is part of the signal.
Male Regent Bowerbirds build and decorate bowers for courtship display, using arranged objects and vivid plumage to attract females.
Species principle: Signal
Drum from cover.
Even a hidden life can send a message through the forest.
Male Ruffed Grouse produce a low drumming sound by rapidly beating their wings, usually from a log or display site, to advertise territory and attract mates.
Species principle: Pair Grace
Dance in pairs.
Grace deepens when two bodies keep the same rhythm.
Sarus Cranes are known for strong pair bonds and elaborate dancing displays involving bowing, calling, jumping, and synchronized movement in wetlands and fields.
Species principle: Stage Transformation
Become the stage.
Performance becomes magic when the body changes the rules of its own shape.
Male Superb Bird-of-paradise transform their appearance during courtship by spreading black cape feathers and displaying a bright blue-green breast shield while dancing.
Species principle: Display Ground
Dance the lek.
The best self appears where the stage, season, and signal meet.
Ugandan Kob males gather in lekking arenas and display to females with postures, movement, and territorial behavior on open grassland.
Species principle: Stagecraft
Prepare the stage.
A rare signal becomes irresistible when the stage is prepared for it.
Male Wilson’s Birds-of-paradise perform vivid courtship displays on carefully maintained display courts, using extraordinary color, posture, and movement.
