Mating

People can understand and empathise with birds. Birds are a lot like us in many ways.They dress up in a new set of feathers when they are ready to find a partner of the opposite sex; they engage in elaborate courtship dances for and with their chosen mate; they seek out locations and build elaborate secure homes to shelter and rear their families; and they spend endless amounts of time and energy protecting, feeding and nurturing their offspring until they are ready to leave the family home and even then they will continue to provide support and the benefit of their experience. Yes, birds are a lot like us. Or, are we a lot like birds? After all, in evolutionary terms they arrived on earth millions of years before we did.

1. Courtship and Rivalry

"Hence that male which at [the selection] time is in fullest vigour, or best armed with arms or ornaments of its species, will gain in hundreds of generations some small advantage and transmit such characters to its offspring…" (Charles Darwin 1842).

2. Courtship and Rivalry - Bird Calls and Song

Bird Song and bird calls deserve a section all of their own. They are used to attract a mate, deter rivals and warn of danger. Bird song can often be complex and involve wide repertoires. It is also species specific and one of the markers that separates one species from another.

3. Bonding and Nesting - Pigeons, Barbets, Weavers and Bulbuls

All birds are "Oviparous": they lay eggs. These eggs must be incubated.

Spotted Dikkop Leisure Island South Africa

4. Bonding and Nesting - Stone Curlews, Pratincoles, Storks and Penguins

In this section we continue to look at the breeding habits of a number of families and individual species. We meet three families which are ground nesters and one that chooses an unexpected habitat for rearing their young.

5. Activity Centre

What Do You Know About Mating and Nesting?

Here is another chance to go hands on with a range of activities that will check what you know and give you opportunities to look further into the lives of birds. Check what you've learnt about mating, nesting and chick rearing.