Spatiotemporal dynamics of a hummingbird courtship dive


SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
2021 VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING (VAM)
January 3 – Febuary 28, 2021

Meeting Abstract


S6-8  Tue Jan 5 16:00 – 16:30  Spatiotemporal dynamics of a hummingbird courtship dive Stoddard, MC*; Hogan, BG; Princeton University; Princeton University mstoddard@princeton.edu

Many animals have evolved signaling displays that combine multimodal components with dynamic motion. To understand the function and evolution of these displays, it is important to appreciate their spatiotemporal organization. Male broad-tailed hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) perform spectacular U-shaped courtship dives over females, appearing to combine rapid movement and dive-specific mechanical noises with visual signals from their iridescent throats (gorgets). To understand how motion, sound and color interact in these complex displays, we obtained video and audio recordings of dives performed by wild hummingbirds. We then applied a multi-angle imaging technique to estimate how a female would perceive the male’s iridescent gorget throughout the dive. We show that the key physical, acoustic and visual aspects of the dive are remarkably synchronized—all occurring within 300 milliseconds. Our results highlight the critical importance of accounting for motion and orientation when investigating animal displays: speed and trajectory affect how multisensory signals are produced and perceived.

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