I'm an amateur birdwatcher. I'm not as gung ho as many others, but I like to watch them. My primary reason is because of what they teach me. You see, I can't watch birds (or much of the rest of nature) without saying, "God, you are truly impressive!" Beyond that, they teach me things about life. They provide a display of things that help me see life more clearly. So I'm going to share some of these tidbits. This one is on the courtship.
Spring is in the air, and a simple look at the birds will show it. From common to elaborate, the birds are doing "the mating dance". Males are putting on fabulous displays to lure a female into mating with them.
These displays range from the common to the elaborate as well. Many birds change colors. The males take on striking plumage and coloration that they don’t carry around all year. Other birds develop songs and sounds to woo their next mate. Still others strike dandy poses or involve themselves in “dances”, displays of worthiness for mating. Consider the peacock, for instance, whose massive tail is only used as a mating display. Some of the exotic birds in rainforests, for instance, put on spectacular displays of sight, sound, and activity to draw attention to themselves. One bird in the jungles of Central America does such a rapid-paced dance that the human eye cannot follow it. Another bird in Tasmania engages in careful home-building. They will gather bits of color, from natural to plastic, to build a fancy place for their prospective mate to lay her eggs. The one with the most elaborate, brightly-colored home is the most successful at mating.
Watch the birds sometime at this time of year. It’s quite humorous, yet sad. He will put himself through all sorts of maneuvers. He may puff himself up to look larger than any other. He may acquire new colors – the brighter the better. Studies show that the most brilliantly-colored northern cardinals, for instance, are the predominant producers of offspring. He may make overtures in dance, posing, stepping, nudging, encouraging. He may preen her, or he may run in circles around her, or he may have other tricks up his sleeve. He may even sing to her. But keep watching. Despite all his puffing and strutting and dancing and singing, more often than not, the perception is "Get away from me, you jerk." The wooed female is usually unimpressed by the display. Despite his ardent, unrelenting attempts, she will most often ignore and then fly away from her suitor.
It makes me think of the human "mating dance". We will put on our best clothes, write songs, strike poses, suck in our guts, try to come up with that perfect line ... the list goes on. We will strike a pose, try to look successful, whatever it takes to try to win the female. More often than not, those who go through these gyrations will hear, in one form or another, "Get away from me, you jerk." But we don’t stop. We are unflagging in our search for that "mate". We are devoted to our quest even when it is obvious that there isn’t the slightest chance of success. We are fat pigeons, strutting our stuff before the "babes", even though we may not be some "spring chicken". Wake up, guys. That approach is for the birds!
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