Seeds of Attraction

BirdNote ^® 
Seeds of Attraction  
Written by Wenfei Tong

This is BirdNote.

What is it that draws us to a romantic partner? For birds, it might be a sweet song, compatible personality type, the right zesty scent, or outrageous dance moves. 

The serenade of a male White-throated Sparrow prompts a response in a female sparrow’s brain that resembles that of humans listening to their favorite music. 

         [White-throated Sparrow song]

Most cranes, like these Sandhill Cranes, duet with prospective partners for years before they begin breeding.

         [Sandhill Crane Duet]

For Steller's Jays, birds of a feather pair together. Couples in which individuals have a similar temperament, either both shy or both bold, tend to be the most successful at raising chicks.

         [Steller’s Jay]

Crested Auklets of both sexes produce a pungent citrus perfume. Field biologists can smell a breeding colony from a boat as they approach. 

Blue-footed Boobies, on the other hand, dance. The birds display their feet to each other in a ponderous pas de deux, a sort of dance duet. The bluer a bird’s feet are, the healthier the bird is. 

         [Blue-footed Booby]

Greater Flamingos that have a larger repertoire of dance moves are considered more attractive, and the best dancers tend to pair up. How typical.

         [Greater Flamingoes]

For Birdnote, I’m Wenfei Tong.

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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. White-throated Sparrow [ML280797451] recorded by J Mcgowan. Sandhill Cranes [ML230432831] recorded by S Sater.  Steller’s Jay [ML56865] recorded by G Keller. Blue-footed Booby [ML127089] recorded by W Lee. Greater Flamingos [ML277052131] recorded by F Maia. Additional Greater Flamingo sounds from https://vimeo.com/250791388 and https://vimeo.com/243857197.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2021 BirdNote  February 2021/2026  & June 2023  
Narrator: Wenfei Tong

ID# courtship-01-2021-2-10    courtship-01

References: 
https://www.wwt.org.uk/news/2014/03/11/flamingo-breeding-activity-a-few-insights-1/11847 
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep36242 
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2011.01990.x