Ok, before you run off, I'm not referring to Michael Jackson. He's not even on the list of people that invented the moonwalk, to me. First up is Bill Bailey--Not the comedian, but a jazz player who was filmed doing it in the 1950's. Was he the original? Probably not. Was it called a moonwalk? No. But because I like the comedian, I find great amusement in someone sharing his name being one of the creators of the moonwalk.
I'm actually not even referring to them, or any other human. I'm referring here to the moon-walking bird in Central and South America. Specifically, a red-capped manakin.
This bird can be found from southern Mexico to norther Ecuador, in the humid forest and rainforest. It's mostly quiet, aside from a mating call, which has been described as brief and explosive. The birds are only about 4 inches tall, and eat fruit. The females are a drab green, with lighter undersides. The males, on the other hand, are black with bright red caps.
One of the things the males do to attract mates is a rapid backwards shuffle along a branch, which is rather similar to the human moonwalk dance. There's a link below with that, and for more information about Manakin birds. There is probably a lot of interesting things about them, but I was just going for the basics and to tell you about this particularly interesting thing. There are links below to investigate these birds more if you want.
Here's a picture of one, from iNaturalist. I'm never sure how many pictures I should put in, or if I should, so please leave notes about what you think.
Sources:
History Cooperative- History of the Moonwalk
Video of the Moonwalking Bird Online
Dallas World Aquarium- Red-Capped Manakin
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