The Language of Love, Like a Bird
Birds are not shy about making their intentions known. Male birds mostly have a huge variety of ways to signal that they are ready to find a partner. Signals can be through song, dance and even the offering of food.
Different birds have different love languages and scientists have actually identified six categories of bird courtship types and includes building, feeding, allopreening, or mutual grooming, singing, dancing and displays.
Once paired, some female birds also get in on the act, but usually with less exaggeration. Just like humans, bird couples need to communicate and do so frequently, often spending much of their time together and sharing special affectionate moments.
Building a home for the bride
What better way to show what you are made of, other than building your bride a home? Many bird species build to try and lure in the ladies with a beautiful place to live. The Cape weaver is found only in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, and are among the most impressive of all these builders. Each male builds multiple nests within a small territory, which he vigorously defends against other males. Females test the quality of the nest by pulling at material on the inside. Once a female accepts the nest the male builds an entrance tunnel at its base, while she lines the inside of the nest with fine grass and feathers.
A Cape weaver busy building its nest
Wining and dining
Who doesn’t like a nice meal they didn’t have to find for themselves? Food is often used by birds as a token of love and to attract females. Some birds place the food directly into their ladies bill, showing that they know what to do when the chicks hatch. Other birds deliver the food like a pizza,
A day at the spa?
For these birds, the love language is touch and they bond or get to know each other better through preening each other. When birds tidy and clean their feathers with their beak, it is called preening.
Sing her a love song
Bird song is something that each of us has heard at one time or another. Some species of birds will sing to advertise that they are ready to find a partner. Some birds may even have different songs for different audiences. They may sing one song when other males are nearby to let them know the area is already occupied, but once they notice a female they will change the tune so that they know he is single and ready to date!
Dance the night away
Some birds may have no reason to sing out loud or may physically be unable to do this to attract a partner. Instead, they initiate a dance with a female of their choice and often also include a food offering as well. If the female responds, he knows she may be interested.
Mated pairs of Cape gannets, for example, engage in a “billing” display, a mutual greeting gesture, where the two birds stand breast to breast with their wings spread, and their necks and bills extended vertically, scissoring rapidly with their bills and calling loudly.
Blue cranes are another bird species that display a wonderful courtship dance during which the two birds jump up and down with their wings extended.
Cape gannets engaging in a billing display
Dramatic displays
When the dancing is more or less one-sided, and the female is mostly sitting and it called a display. These displays can be incredibly elaborate, while others are simply just showing off a fabulous pose or breeding plumage (feathers).
Flamingo courtship is one such example. The male flamingo will court the female by strutting around her, making loud noises, and even offering her food. The female usually stays quiet and still during this process.