Good vibrations
Good vibrations
When she looked closely at the manakin's feathers, Kim noticed that one wing feather (6) has ridges, while another feather (5) has a curved tip. When the male manakin knocks his wings together, these neighboring feathers act as a spoon and washboard, generating vibrations at just the right frequency. But Kim suspected that wing movement at such a high speed must require extra support, so she ordered a CT scan.