7 Sweet Photos Show How Birds Flirt and Attract Mates

Courtesy Anne Sipe

Northern Cardinals

A male northern cardinal feeds a female to prove that he’s able to feed a family. Courtship feeding behaviors are more than kind gestures; they help birds attract mates. Look for this common ritual in your yard among Northern cardinals, cedar waxwings and tufted titmice. We asked the experts: Do cardinals mate for life?

Bob Kothenbeutel

Bald Eagles

This photo does not show fighting, but rather how the birds attract mates. In a ritual called cartwheeling, mated bald eagles lock their talons in flight and free-fall through the air together. Bald eagles, laysan albatrosses, California condors, whooping cranes, black vultures, Atlantic puffin, mute swan and osprey are all examples of birds that typically mate for life. Learn more about bird courtship rituals.

Nature Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo

Sandhill Cranes

This photo shows a pair of sandhill cranes in the midst of their famous mating dance. Check out three hotspots for sandhill crane migration—there may be one near you!

Neal Mishler/Getty Images

Sharp-Tailed Grouse

In an effort to attract a mate, sharp-tailed grouses stick their pointed tails up, aim their wings down and inflate the purple air sacs along their necks. Feeling the love? Check out the best Valentine’s Day cards for bird lovers.

Bob Kothenbeutel

Western Grebes

Both male and female western grebes participate in courtship rituals. The pairs—or possibly two males trying to wow females—participate in an extremely elaborate walk-on-water display called rushing. Perfectly in sync, the grebes run as far as 66 feet across the water with their necks curved and wings up and back. Check out these adorable spring bird photos to see more sweet moments — or laugh at these funny bird photos.

Shutterstock / Ian Dyball

Dunlin

A dunlin pair may reconnect at their breeding grounds after separating for migration season. Studies prove that individuals recognize each other when they return to the breeding grounds. This is true for migratory birds like dunlin and osprey and for various species of gulls, terns and seabirds.

Ready to put your bird ID skills to the test? Take our shorebirds quiz.

Marie Read

American Avocets

Courting American avocets execute a graceful ritual of bowing, posturing and preening. Check out romantic and fascinating swan facts.