image credit: fveronesi1 ccThe graceful leaping, bowing, running, spinning and grass-tossing of dancing cranes is mesmerising and mysterious. This unique and spectacular behavior has been imitated in various human cultures since the Stone Age and the purpose of such elaborate displays is widely understood to establish and reaffirm long-term pair bonds.
But on the occasion that young or single birds dance, for no clear social reasons, scientists become really intrigued. The behavior can appear random at times: sparked by a feather, stick or gust of wind. Explanations for this peculiar propensity for dance have included socialisation and pair bonding in sub-adults, averting aggression and as a displacement activity when nervous.
