Twerking describes a type of dancing. The dance movements are slightly sexually provocative, involving thrusting hip movements combined with low squats. The word derives from a combination of the words “twist” and “jerk.” The term was first used in a record put out in the 1980s by an artist called DJ Jubilee. It has appeared, both as a move and as a word, in many musical numbers since then, although the word reached its highest attention through the work of U.S. pop singer Miley Cyrus in 2013.
But what has this to do with peacocks? Male peacocks, to attract a mate, will engage in a display that can last for several hours. Much of this involves spreading the fan of feathers and vibrating it to maximize the iridescent train of feathers.
To breakdown the display step-by-step, researchers used stop motion photography, examining the peafowl Pavo cristatus. Several of the steps involve movements akin to “twerking” or “rattling.” No doubt the researchers, based on a report from Science News, are making the analogy in order to publicize their research. Irrespective of linking the natural movement of birds to manufactured pop music, the display of the peacock is something wondrous.
Central to the “warm-up” moves made by the peacock is a movement termed “shivering.” This takes place before females arrive. Once the peahen arrives, the tail vibrations begin. Interestingly, the vibrations occur at a similar frequency for all birds, at around 25.6 hertz on average. This leads to a rustling noise, with the birds with the longest trains of feathers producing sounds at the highest frequencies.
The study also found that despite the vibration, the eyes on the feathers remain still. This is due to hooks that keep them in place and gives the appearance of the trail being a single mass of color.
The research was led by Dr. Roslyn Dakin of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The research findings are described in the journal PLOS One. The paper is titled “Biomechanics of the Peacock’s Display: How Feather Structure and Resonance Influence Multimodal Signaling.”
