When it comes to birds with impressively long tails, a few key species stand out. The bird that has the longest tail feathers relative to its body size is generally considered to be the resplendent quetzal. However, in terms of sheer length, the longest tails are found on birds in the genera Pavo and Paradisaea, which include peafowl and birds-of-paradise.
The Resplendent Quetzal
The resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) is a stunningly beautiful bird that lives in the mountain forests of Central America. Adult males have vibrant green plumage accented by a bright red chest, blue crowning, and exceptionally long uppertail coverts that can extend up to 3 feet long. This is the longest tail relative to body size of any bird species, with the tail being up to 3 times the length of the rest of the body. The iridescent emerald-green tail coverts only grow to this magnificent length once the quetzal reaches adulthood after its third year.
Habitat and Diet
Resplendent quetzals are found in cloud forests and rainforests at elevations between 3000-10000 feet. Their diet consists primarily of fruits such as avocados and wild cherries, as well as insects, frogs, lizards, and small snakes that they capture while flying. They play an important role in seed dispersal and pollination for forest plants.
Breeding
Resplendent quetzals are monogamous and mate for life. During breeding season, the female constructs a nest in a rotted tree trunk up to 100 feet off the ground. She cares for the 2-3 eggs and eventually hatches them over a period of 15-18 days. The male assists with feeding the chicks once they hatch.
Threats and Conservation
Due to habitat loss from deforestation, and hunting for their vibrant tail feathers to be used in indigenous ceremonial costumes, resplendent quetzal populations have declined significantly. They are now near-threatened according to the IUCN Red List. Conservation efforts include habitat protection, banning export of their plumage, and captive breeding programs.
Indian Peafowl
Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) are among the largest flying birds in the world. While both sexes have ornate uppertail coverts, the male’s train is especially impressive, reaching up to 6 feet long. The peacock’s train makes up approximately 60% of its total body length. This long plumage is used to attract mates and intimidate rivals.
Description
The male Indian peafowl has beautiful iridescent blue-green plumage on its neck and wings, but its most striking feature is its shimmering train made up of over 200 elongated uppertail coverts. Each of these feathers ends in an ornamental ocellus, or eye, pattern. The female peafowl, called peahens, have a mixture of dull green, grey, and brown plumage. They lack the long ornamental tail feathers of the male, instead having a relatively short tail used for camouflage.
Habitat and Behavior
Peafowl are native to the forests and scrublands of India and Sri Lanka but have been introduced in parks and estates across many parts of the world. They spend their days walking along the forest floor voraciously foraging for berries, seeds, insects, reptiles and amphibians to eat. At night, they sleep in trees. The male peafowl displays his train in an elaborate courtship ritual, and the peahen selects the mate with the most brilliant plumage.
Popularity
Indian peafowl have been semi-domesticated for over 4,000 years. In Hinduism, the peafowl is considered a sacred bird, and in India and Pakistan peacocks represent status and authority. The peacock’s extravagant plumage has long made it a popular decorative motif from the Renaissance to modern times. However, escaped or feral peafowl can cause issues and damage ecosystems where they are introduced outside their native range.
Birds-of-Paradise
Birds-of-paradise are members of the Paradisaeidae family that live in the tropical forests of New Guinea and surrounding islands. While famous for their flashy plumage, males of some species also have remarkably long tail feathers measuring over 3 feet in length.
Twelve-Wired Bird-of-Paradise
The twelve-wired bird-of-paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus) is aptly named for its thin wire-like tail feathers that can grow up to 43 inches long. That’s over half the bird’s total body length! These remarkably long and flexible feathers drape and undulate like ribbons as the male performs extravagant courtship dances for potential mates.
King Bird-of-Paradise
Male king birds-of-paradise (Cicinnurus regius) have two long tail feathers that spiral together into a distinctive corkscrew shape. Each feather averages around 35 inches long. The bird fans these feathers out and waves them slowly from side to side during mating displays. The intensity of the corkscrew curl signals the male’s health and vitality when attracting mates.
Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise
With tail feathers up to 30 inches long, male Wilson’s birds-of-paradise (Diphyllodes respublica) put on an incredible balancing act. They have modified shafts on their two outer tail feathers that allow them to crisscross the feathers into an X shape. They can shimmy and shake these crossed feathers independently from their actual tail during courtship dances.
Long-Tailed Widowbird
Outside of the peafowl and bird-of-paradise families, the long-tailed widowbird (Euplectes progne) has the longest tail relative to its body size of any bird. These small weaver birds live in marshes and grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa. While the female has a modest tail of only a few inches, the male’s tail feathers can reach up to 27 inches long, over 4 times the length of its body!
Breeding Displays
During breeding season, hundreds of male long-tailed widowbirds gather in a lekking arena to display their tails and impress potential mates. They hop about with tails fanned vertically, making loud chirps and wingbeats. After mating, the females leave to build nests and raise chicks alone while the males focus on defending their status in the lekking arena.
Tail Streamers
The two central tail feathers of the male account for over 90% of the bird’s total tail length. Unlike most bird tail feathers which have interlocking barbules to keep the feathers firm and straight, the inner tail feathers of the long-tailed widowbird have loose barbules allowing the feather to curl and undulate. This makes the feathers more resistant to wear-and-tear during flashy displays.
Other Notable Species
While not record-setters for tail length, there are a number of other unique birds that have tails impressive enough to warrant mention:
Lyrebird
Famous mimics of the bird world, lyrebirds have broad tails with specialized feathers that can be fanned out and vibrated to create a variety of sound effects. The male superb lyrebird’s tail resembles a medieval lyre or harp.
Motmot
These colorful Central and South American birds have two extended racquet-shaped tail feathers. They sway their tails from side to side after prey capture, possibly to signal hunting success to others in their social group.
Racket-tailed Treepie
Found in southeast Asia, these intelligent corvids have two striking tail feathers that curve upwards. These specialized feathers are unexpectedly stiff and rigid, adapted for display rather than flight.
Pin-tailed Whydah
Close relatives of the long-tailed widowbird, male pin-tailed whydahs also have incredibly long tail feathers used for competitive breeding displays during the rainy season.
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Insects beware! These agile flycatchers of North and Central America have look remarkably like a pair of scissors. They spread their distinctive forked tail to bank and turn on a dime while hunting.
The Science of Long Bird Tails
The evolution of elongated tail feathers in many bird species provides insights into ecology, sexual selection, and survival strategies. While often cumbersome, long tails can aid courtship, communication, and maneuverability when properly balanced with body structure and flight dynamics. Scientists continue researching and debating the myriad functions and tradeoffs of avian tail extensions.
Sexual Selection
Charles Darwin hypothesized that extravagant male plumage like long tails often evolves through female choice, where females preferentially mate with males displaying the most pronounced ornaments and confer those traits genetically to offspring. Modern biologists largely agree that sexual selection plays a key role in shaping extreme tail feathers.
Honest Signaling
While elaborate tails attract mates, they may also signal a male’s physical condition. Growing long robust tail feathers requires energy and nutrition. Males with the resources to maintain cumbersome feathers despite potential flight and predation costs demonstrate to females they have strong fitness genes. The handicap principle proposes that long tails honestly advertise genetic quality.
Female Mimicry
In some species like lyrebirds and widowbirds, females also have moderately long tails. Rather than sexual selection, natural selection for mimicry between sexes may explain shared tail extensions. Since malesspend most of the year outside of breeding season with a drab female-like appearance, mimicry likely helps reduce predation risk.
Specialized Structure
Birds balance elaborate tails with adaptations like tapered shaft anatomy and modified barbule structure to maintain both light weight and structural integrity. Tail muscles allow active control, spreading, folding, and waving to avoid impediment. Streamlined body feathers and strategic weight distribution also aid maneuverability.
Costs vs. Benefits
While ornamental tails attract mates, they increase parasite load, injury risk, metabolic costs, and reduce aerial agility. However, species with the longest tails likely offset these issues by spending minimal time actually flying with fully extended tail plumage. Instead males carefully manage energetically expensive feathers just for key courtship rituals.
Measuring Bird Tails
Scientists use a variety of methods to quantify the impressive tail lengths of different bird species. Measurements are taken from specimens in museum collections as well as live birds actively studied in the field.
Specimen Measurement
Ornithologists measure bird tails in museum collections for research analysis. The extended tail feathers are carefully stretched out straight to obtain an accurate end-to-end length. For species with specialized ornamentation, the longest tail feathers may also be measured individually.
Photographic Analysis
Researchers utilize photographs of birds with their tails naturally extended during display behaviors. By measuring pixels and scale, they can estimate feather lengths. High speed video has proven useful for species that rapidly shake or wave elongated tails.
Field Observation
Watching birds first-hand with binoculars or telephoto lenses provides opportunities to observe tail dynamics. Researchers take notes on maximum tail extensions and movement patterns to complement museum specimens and photography.
Tagging Studies
Scientists fit birds with radio tags to track tail lengths over time and fitness impacts. Tags allow monitoring survival rates, flight distances, foraging energetics, and mating success relative to tail feather extent.
Species | Maximum Tail Length |
---|---|
Resplendent Quetzal | 3 feet |
Indian Peafowl | 6 feet |
Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise | 43 inches |
Long-tailed Widowbird | 27 inches |
Conclusion
From peacocks to birds-of-paradise, many bird species boast remarkably long tail feathers. The resplendent quetzal has the longest tail proportional to its body size, while the peafowl and some birds-of-paradise have the most length overall. Male birds use ornamental tails to attract mates and outcompete rivals. Their spectacular tail plumage has captivated human observers across cultures and remains a favorite subject of biologists studying sexual selection, honest signaling, and the costs versus benefits of avian accessories.