Love on the wing

AS the US writer Nora Ephron wrote in the movie Heartburn, 'If you're looking for monogamy, you'd better marry a swan'. Some species of bird do, indeed, pair for life, yet other species including most songbirds are 'socially monogamous'. This means that, although they will form a pair for the entire breeding season, to help one another raise their young, the male (and, often, also the female) may also sneak off and try to mate with other birds.
In the male's case, this strategy is likely to mean he will have more offspring-even if he might never see some of them. For the female, mating with two or three males does not increase the number of chicks she can have, as she will still lay the same number of eggs. However, by mating with several males, she does benefit from having a range of young with different genetic qualities inherited from their fathers, some of which will be more likely to survive than others. This avoids, as it were, putting all her eggs in one basket.
Birds pair up by using two basic techniques. Songbirds, which make up more than half of all the world's bird species, have (as their name suggests) an attractive, tuneful song. This is almost always uttered by the male and serves two purposes: to attract and keep a female; and, at the same time, to warn nearby males to keep out of his territory and away from his mate.
Many larger birds, whose vocal talents are more limited, use a visual courtship display instead. This can be something quite basic, with the male simply showing off his attractive plumage to the female. Although it can also evolve into a truly memorable routine, in which both the male and female perform a complex series of dance moves, often exactly mirroring one another's movements. For humans, our own abilities to sing and dance were originally influenced by these incredible natural sounds and sights.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 08, 2023 من Country Life UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 08, 2023 من Country Life UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول

Rules are there to be broken
The second coming of the high-low restaurant, where chefs pair martinis with burgers, is here, finds Will Hosie

City of legend
Kings, cobbles, secrets, superstition and literary fire power—Winchester has had it all in spades for centuries and is as desirable now as it ever was, says Jason Goodwin

How to live the dream
Whatever your passion—be it gardening, fishing, sailing, shooting or equestrian sport— you can live the countryside dream in one of these idyllic Hampshire houses

Into the Goodwood
At the magical Goodwood Art Foundation, a pineapple perches on a chalk bank, 16th-century music bathes an ancient copse and Rachel Whiteread’s cast of the underside of stairs climbs Escher-like into the sky. Charlotte Mullins goes exploring

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
WE are bowling along a wide, straight road out of Muscat, Oman, when the conversation turns to camels.

A capital show
Classic Art London, born from the ashes of London Art Week, puts a spotlight on pre-contemporary art with a whirlwind of exhibitions, talks and pieces that range from Titian to Edgar Degas and Paul Nash

Where angels dare
THE romanticism of an artist modelling the face of an angel on that of his paramour in a mosaic surrounded by lush green foliage has certainly stood the test of time.

The art of exterior decoration
The success of this stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show—which was awarded four stars— reveals Isabella Worsley’s versatility as a designer.

Interiors: The designer's room
The deep-lustre copper brings a period glamour to this kitchen by deVOL

The original Spitfire
Size doesn’t matter when it comes to the fighting spirit of the tiny merlin, a fierce parent and favoured hunting accessory of Mary, Queen of Scots