"Just the culture of their dance ... like the drumming of their feet
and the feathers ... It was a lot more interesting than I thought it would
be," said Cari.
Females seem to select the males that show the most energy, and do the best
job of defending their territories. We don't know if they judge the males
for style, or flair. One rather hopes they do. But only a sharptail could
say.
[Cari] "It was kind of funny. All of these females running around
with their heads back, like come and get me."
{Donna] "They strut around definitely making their choice very carefully,
and the men did what they have to, for what they were able to attain at
the end of the dance."
The dancing ground is called a Lek. The birds frequently return
to the same ground year after year. It's staggering to think that an unbroken
line of sharptails have been dancing in these same hills for hundreds of
years. An annual ritual, each spring, insuring the next generation of their
kind. What faithfulness. And what a heritage they leave in this single,
irreplaceable plot of ground. This is their spot on earth.
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