With all of the horrific events that have already occurred in the brand new year, I feel like we could all use a bit of levity. Enter this ridiculously cute video of the American Woodcock, an adorable little bird with an unflappable swagger.
The US Department of the Interior recently posted the video of the fluffy cutie, which was taken by Keith Ramos at Moosehorn National Wildlife Regure, with the caption: "Strutting into 2025 with some American woodcock swagger! May you start the new year on the right foot." They also included a funny description of the video: "A grey and brown bird is strutting some serious dance moves, bobbing back and forth on its short legs."
CornellLab's All About Birds website offers a great overview of the American Woodcock, which they describe as a "plump little shorebird" whose brown-mottled feathers help it stay camouflaged as it walks along forest floors across eastern North America, "probing the soil with its long bill in search of earthworms." All About Birds also provides some fun facts about the American Woodcock, including that (1) It also goes by silly names like timberdoodle, Labrador twister, night partridge, and bog sucker; (2) The funny dance on display in the video is actually thought to be a food-finding technique, as it helps encourage the sought-for worms to move around in the soil and be more easily spotted; and (3) In addition to the Woodcocks' silly swagger, the males are also known for performing "dazzling aerial displays" and nasal calls as they seek to catch the attention of a mate. What an awesome little bird!
I just love watching this little bird strut its stuff—it kind of looks like a tiny Pee Wee Herman doing the famous "Tequila" dance. And somehow the backing music—Whitney Houston's 1987 hit "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"—makes it even more perfect. Enjoy!