This Bird is the Michael Jackson of the Animal Kingdom

Quick Take

• These birds skip every parenting duty entirely, and that strange trade-off is exactly what makes their dance so critical. See the parenting trade-off →
• The moonwalk looks like a trick your eyes are playing on you, and it turns out there is a specific reason it is designed that way. Discover the moonwalk design →
• These males never fight each other for dominance. The way they actually compete is far stranger. Explore the lek competition →
• The moves happen so fast that watching in real time, you'd miss what makes them so impressive. Watch the speed breakdown →

Birds have some amazing and unique dances that they use to attract mates, and the red-capped manakin has one of the grooviest routines of all. Rivaling the moves of Michael Jackson, the red-capped manakin’s smooth moonwalking helps to attract potential mates. This Instagram post by @best_birds_shots shows their dance up close.

Red-Capped Manakin Moves

Red-capped manakins have some incredible dance moves. These tiny tropical birds are native to Central and South America. Like other bird species, they rely on dances to attract potential mates. These routines are only performed by males and occur during the breeding season. When it comes to selecting a branch on which to strut their stuff, they choose their stage carefully. When a female comes close, they perch on their branch and begin their choreographed routines. Most dances include rapid hops, like in the video above, wing snaps, small flights, and the famous moonwalk. Because these moves happen extremely fast, they are often hard for humans to fully appreciate. This makes the video above a great opportunity to witness just how complex the birds’ routines are.

The moonwalk is easily one of the coolest manakin maneuvers, rivaling Michael Jackson’s iconic move. The birds rapidly shuffle back and forth along the branch while keeping their bodies incredibly still. It almost looks like an optical illusion. While they are trying to attract mates, there’s a bit more to it than that. Unlike most bird species, red-capped manakin males do not help with nest building, incubating eggs, or even raising chicks. Instead, their entire investment in the reproductive cycle is in attracting mates. Because of this, it is extremely important for them to accurately show off their physical prowess, which they do through dance moves. Males do not fight each other but instead compete in a lek, which is an area where several males perform their displays for visiting females. Birds with the smoothest dances and precise timing are often chosen as the “winners.”