[Music playing] [Life’s A Stage] [Two male and two female birds-of-paradise are near the forest floor.] [Starring the incredible Birds-of-Paradise] [A male bird-of-paradise performs his ballerina dance.] [Truly a wonder of nature!] [And the greatest show in the animal kingdom!] [Another bird-of-paradise shakes what looks like a pom-pom, then quickly turns the other way.] [Our story begins deep in the jungles of the South Pacific] [where every young performer gets his start.] [A male bird-of-paradise performs a dance for a female, by moving his wings back and forth in front of his body, moving his head in time, and opening his beak.] [Another bird-of-paradise puffs up his feathers so he appears triangular.] [Of course, even the biggest stars must practice the art of the dance.] [A male bird-of-paradise bounces up and down on a tree branch, then brings his very long head feathers around to the front and back.] [Another male bird-of-paradise keeps his feet in place, but moves his body back and forth with his wings out.] [Theater can be a lonely business.] [Male bird-of-paradise performs alone.] [Another male bird-of-paradise appears to fall during his performance.] [But practice makes perfect.] [A male bird-of-paradise performs his ballerina dance.] [And perfection pays off.] [A male bird-of-paradise bows.] [Clapping] [Please excuse us while we clear the stage for the final act!] [Various male birds-of-paradise clear leaves off their stages.] [Concessions are available in the lobby.] [Various birds-of-paradise eating fruit.] [And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…] [The dance!] [Birds-of-paradise perform their dances.] [The ladies arrive and take their seats.] [Female birds-of-paradise looking on.] [To win their hearts, the dancers must give their best performance.] [A male bird-of-paradise dances for several females.] [Hmmm, that doesn’t seem to be working. Perhaps something else.] [The male changes his dance.] [Ummm…that’s not working either. Got any other moves?] [He performs a longer, more elaborate dance for the females, who seem more interested.] [That seems to do the trick.] [Now let the real fun begin!] [Various birds-of-paradise displaying.] [Clapping] [In the end, it’s all about love!] [Birds-of-paradise mating.] [Sort of.] [Birds-of-paradise mating.] [The End] [Explore more at birdsofparadiseproject.org, youtube.com/LabofOrnithology]