Riflebird

Victoria's riflebird males spread their wings into a curved cape shape while displaying iridescent blue-green throat patches to females. The male rocks his head side to side, causing the throat patch to flash and shimmer. If the female remains, he may wrap his wing cape around her in an embrace display. The entire performance combines movement, color, and proximity.

This demonstrates progressive commitment display. The riflebird's courtship escalates through stages, with female presence at each stage signaling continued interest. The male invests increasingly - from calling, to displaying, to approaching, to cape-wrapping. Each stage filters uncommitted females while deepening engagement with interested ones.

The business parallel applies to graduated engagement funnels. Successful sales processes mirror this escalation - from awareness to interest to evaluation to commitment. Each stage requires female (customer) action to proceed. The progressive investment filters prospects while building relationship with qualified leads.

Riflebirds also demonstrate the shimmer effect in attention capture. The head-rocking makes throat colors flash dynamically, more attention-grabbing than static display. Motion in otherwise still environments draws eye tracking. Businesses use motion similarly - blinking cursors, animated elements, video in static feeds - to capture attention through dynamic differentiation.