Defensive & Aggressive Behavior The male generally becomes active (reproductively speaking) first. In the wild, this adaptation allows him to obtain a suitable nesting site before attracting a mate. In captivity, however, this may lead to problems if the male is ready to breed and the hen is not. If she does not seem interested, the male may chase after, hiss at, and even attack her out of frustration. Mate aggression can lead to trauma and even death, and is a sign that the pair is not compatible and should be separated from each other immediately. Another form of aggressive behavior that may be witnessed during the "breeding season" is defense of the nest, surrounding territory, food supply, and/or mate. In this case, a pair may be bonded to each other but attack any other birds that they perceive as a threat. Because some birds may become very defensive of their nest, the area should be visually isolated from other birds.2 Other steps may also need to be taken to reduce aggression.
How they accept their mate
Acceptance of a MateSigns of mate acceptance and pair bond formation include: perching or sleeping side-by-side (some species [munias, some african wax bills, masked grass-finches, yellow-rumpled finches, shaft-tails, parsons, zebra finches] prefer to remain in physical contact, while other species [parrot, pictorial, painted, and gouldian finches] will simply sit near each other), preening/grooming each other (namely in those species which prefer physical contact with their mate), toleration of each other's presence, cooing or calling to each other, and cooperative nest building. If the cock is interested in the hen, he will court her (sing and dance); if the hen accepts his advances, she may simply seem to tolerate him (i.e. not fly away or hiss at him), mimic some of his courtship behaviors (e.g. a gouldian hen who may shake her head, stand proud, and hop for her mate with her tail pointed, while chirping since she cannot sing), or assume the mating position. A zebra finch hen, for instance, will squat low in front of the male while lifting and vibrating her tail to encourage the cock to mate her. This is a sign of "consensual" mating. Cocks may hop on and appear to mate with hens without an "invitation" to do so--these displays should not be confused with mate acceptance. (Signs that two birds arenot compatible include: threatening [leaning towards the offending bird with the neck extended and the beak open], hissing or "growling," chasing, "beak fencing," feather plucking, and other signs of aggression.) Some birds will pair off with a partner of the same sex or of a different species...if you wish to breed your birds, neither of these scenarios will do.
|
Birds do not mate for pleasure, only for procreation, and many male birds are sterile outside the breeding season. The exact timing of when bird pairs come together for successful mating varies, and the timing evolves for different species to give the resulting chicks the best chance of survival.
|