In a message dated 6/8/02 7:00:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time, mtnsylva@xxxxxxx writes: > I saw the same thing happen yesterday. Might the looping be a territorial > statement rather than a courtship display? > Michael Sylva > Del Rio TN Michael and fellow TnBirders In my experience, the "U" shaped vertical loops are indeed aggression. They are performed by males on males, females on females, young on old birds, etc. We notice them more when the the adult males are involved because of the high level of wing noise produced the the thin pointed wings of the adult males. In some instances the male can quickly shift from the dive display to the close-in, in-your face "shuttle" that is strictly romance. We know very little about the part played by vocalizations during the shuttle display. Actually, we know very little about the lives of hummingbirds, PERIOD. Ignorance is a good motivator! Bob Sargent Trussville, Alabama =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958 =========================================================