The male bird of paradise will take any opportunity to display his goods
Birds of Paradise, of the order Passeriformes, are known for dazzling plumage and elaborate courtship dances. Some of the males seem more interested in dancing for one another than for a female; these birds have long been stereotyped by the media as anal-retentive, broadway loving, promiscuous narcissists, though evidence for such generalizations is anecdotal at best.* There is, however, ample evidence that they are indeed better dancers than most dull-feathered females. Unfortunatley, video evidence in figures A and B, below, also demonstrates that like many humans, this male bird has overestimated the appeal of the scary-face dance
