Video: Wild Grouses Enticed into Mating With Sexy Fembot
It could happen to you One of America's strangest mating rituals, the chest-puffing, squeaking dance of the sage grouse, is getting closer attention, thanks to a pretty little fembot. The sage grouse, which is sort of like a more interesting type of chicken, has long captivated scientists as well as tourists because, of its elaborate mating habits. A group of researchers have infiltrated the grouse world using a custom-designed "fembot" -- a robotic bird on wheels with a camera nestled in her breast. During breeding season, males gather in open areas called leks, which can be found throughout most of the rural West. The males puff their chests, strut like peacocks, and make throaty whistling sounds, all in an effort to attract females, who walk around the lek and survey the goods. Gail Patricelli, an animal behaviorist at the University of California-Davis, is now reviewing four mating seasons' worth of video recordings...