The insect uses the red flag-looking appendages on its hind legs to perform an intricate and mysterious display. Previously scientists thought that male matador bugs waved their leg flags to attract a female. In a 2024 study, scientists taped red flags taped to crickets’ hind legs to imitate the matador bugs and see how predatory birds responded. On average, the matador bugs increased their waving behavior seven times more in the presence of the predatory mantids. What was even more telling, is that the mantids did not attract the matador bugs that were actively waving.