Sunday is Valentine’s Day — a good time to take a look at some of the more interesting courtship routines among Georgia’s birds as they try to woo mates for spring nesting.
Some birds perform elaborate dances, some engage in breathtaking aerial displays, some simply offer food to would-be sweethearts — all in an effort to find Mr. or Ms. Right.
Here’s a sample:
One of the most dramatic displays is that of the male American woodcock, a squat brown bird with a long bill that begins his courting in early February. In his book “Birds of Georgia,” author Giff Beaton describes the woodcock’s remarkable mate-luring ritual:
“Just before dawn or just after sunset, he struts provocatively in an open woodland clearing … while calling out a series of loud peent notes. He then launches into the air, twittering upward in a circular flight display until, with wings partly folded, he plummets to the ground in the zigzag pattern of a falling leaf, producing chirping sounds with the primary flight feathers of his wings. At the end of this stunning ‘sky dance,’ he lands precisely where he started.”
Equally daring are the antics of love-struck red-tailed hawks. Around late February, the hawks begin courting by circling slowly with shrill cries at heights of 1,000 feet or more. The male approaches the female from above and touches her, setting off a series of tumbles and dives at nearly 100 miles per hour. They may lock bills or talons, and the male may pass food to the female. When the female lands on a perch, the male spirals down to join her and mating takes place.
More earthbound are the courting habits of great blue herons, whose complex mating “dances” involve exaggerated strutting, neck stretching, feather ruffling, bill snapping and twig exchanging.
Less spectacular but no less interesting are the rituals of male cardinals and blue jays, which insert seeds or other food into the mouths of female mates — perhaps the males’ way of showing that they can feed and provide for a family.
IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon will be in first quarter on Friday, Feb. 19. The only planet visible to the naked eye right now is Mars, which is in the southwest at dusk and sets in the west a few hours later. The other planets are too close to the sun for easy observation.
