There are a number of bird species that are known for having long, decorative feather tails. These elongated tail feathers, called rectrices, play an important role in courtship displays and help attract mates. Some of the most well-known birds with long tails include peacocks, pheasants, lyrebirds, and birds-of-paradise.
Peacocks
One of the most iconic birds with a long feathered tail is the peacock. Male peafowl, known as peacocks, have an elaborate tail called a train that they can fan out to attract females. A peacock’s train consists of over 200 elongated uppertail coverts and around 50 actual tail feathers that can reach up to 5 feet in length. The feathers are iridescent shades of blue, green, and gold. When fanned out, the train creates a stunning display. In addition to attracting mates, the peacock’s train is thought to intimidate rivals and prevent predator attacks. There are three main peafowl species:
- Indian peafowl – Native to the Indian subcontinent, Indian peafowl are the most common and widespread peafowl species. The males have green and blue plumage with an ocellus pattern on their trains.
- Green peafowl – Native to Southeast Asia, green peafowl have greenish colored neck plumage. Their trains have eyespots outlined in gold.
- Congo peafowl – Native to central Africa, Congo peafowl have greyish blue neck plumage and lack the ocellus pattern on their trains.
Of these, the Indian peafowl has the longest train, with lengths up to 5 feet. The green peafowl’s train may reach around 4 feet, while the Congo peafowl has the shortest train at around 3 feet.
Pheasants
Pheasants are large, colorful game birds known for their long feathered tails. There are over 50 pheasant species found throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. Some pheasants with exceptionally long tails include:
- Lady Amherst’s pheasant – Native to Southeast Asia, the male has a dark red body, black cape and long silver tail that can reach over 5 feet.
- Reeves’s pheasant – Native to China, the male’s tail accounts for two-thirds of its total body length and can reach 59 inches.
- Golden pheasant – Native to China, the male’s tail can reach over 3 feet long and is reddish brown with yellow tips.
- Swinhoe’s pheasant – Native to Taiwan, this pheasant’s tail can reach lengths over 3 feet long.
The tails of these pheasant species play an important role in visual displays and courtship rituals. Males will often spread their tail feathers to signal dominance and attract females during breeding season.
Lyrebirds
Lyrebirds are a family of passerine birds native to Australia and New Guinea that are notable for the male’s elaborate tail plumage. The superb lyrebird has the longest feather tail of any lyrebird species, reaching lengths of over 2 feet long in mature males. The male superb lyrebird’s tail accounts for over 60% of its total body length. It has 16 specialized tail feathers that form a fanned, lyre-shaped pattern when spread open. The tail is used in courtship displays where the male will face away from the female and wiggle and shake the feathers to create a shimmering effect. Other lyrebird species with long tail feathers include the Albert’s lyrebird and the magnificent riflebird.
Birds-of-Paradise
Native to New Guinea and nearby islands, birds-of-paradise are named for their extraordinary plume feathers. Males have evolved some of the most elaborate and longest feather tails to attract mates through visual displays. Some birds-of-paradise with exceptionally long tails include:
- Twelve-wired bird-of-paradise – Tail wires can reach over 20 inches long.
- King bird-of-paradise – Central tail feathers extend over 14 inches beyond the body.
- Wilson’s bird-of-paradise – Pairs of wire-like tail feathers can grow over 22 inches long.
- Ribbon-tailed astrapia – Named for two sweeping tail feathers that exceed 3 feet in length.
These specialized tail feathers consist of bare feather shafts or wires adorned with colorfully fluffy plumes or flags at the ends. During courtship, males will flex, twist and coil their tails into elaborate shapes to captivate females.
Conclusions
In summary, some of the bird species with the longest feather tails include:
- Indian peafowl – Tail feathers up to 5 feet long
- Lady Amherst’s pheasant – Tail over 5 feet long
- Superb lyrebird – Tail over 2 feet long
- Twelve-wired bird-of-paradise – Tail wires over 20 inches long
These birds have evolved extraordinarily long feather tails to aid in visual courtship displays. The lengths and elaborate ornamentation help attract mates each breeding season. So next time you visit a zoo or nature park, keep an eye out for these birds with the most stunning long feather tails in the avian world.