Courtship Displays and Breeding Finches

Finches, like many birds, have elaborate ritualistic courtship displays. These displays vary extensively between finch species; something that evolved to reduce the possibility of cross-breeding. There are far too many courtship displays to describe in the short space available so I will concentrate on general classes of displays and finches that typically engage in these classes.

While there are other classes of courtship displays, these are the major ones. Some birds, for example will engage in singing displays that mirror the motions of the grass display like the Cutthroat finch. Courtship displays are sometimes followed by mating but only if the female indicates a willingness to mate with the displaying male.

Grass Displays: This is the display common to firefinches and waxbills. It begins when the male finds a long blade of grass (or, when grass is not available, a feather). He picks it up by one end and carries it to the female who is sitting high up in a tree. He puffs his abdominal feathers and turns his tail toward the female, whips his tail up and down several times and begins to sing. His display indicates to the female that he wants to build a nest with her and raise a family. This is a straight forward display in which the symbolic and practical meaning are not lost. In some finches that engage in grass displays the link between the practical and symbolic is lost, Spice finches and White-backed Munias continue the practice of picking up a blade of grass when they get ready to court but drop the grass when they begin singing. Many Australian finch species engage in a form of grass displays that dispense with the grass altogether. In these groups, which include the Long-tailed Grassfinch, the Parson finch and the Zebra finch, immature males will pick up a blade of grass as a tool for courtship displays but the practice is never seen in adult males indicating that the species abandoned this aspect of the grass display they once followed.

Bob-Up Displays: In many African species the female also actively engages in courtship with a blade of grass especially when the male partner is not very active. In a few species the males bob-up while engaged in their version of a grass display. This display consists of pushing their heads up and forward in time with their leg movements. This movement is similar to the movements made by the male when building the ceiling of the nest from grass. Peter's and Green Twinspots and African Firefinches commonly engage in this display.

Bowing Displays: The male looks for a blade of grass, one that is markedly long; picking up the blade in his beak and flying to a flexible, nearly horizontal branch where he starts to whip up and down while firmly holding the branch. While doing this he sings an eerie song of base notes to attract a female. When a female appears he turns toward her, increases the speed and force of his movements and finally bends forward and down while twisting his head so as to peer sideways at the female while wagging his head in much the same way a baby would while begging for food. The Diamond Firetail uses this display to find a mate.

Bending Down: Star, Crimson and Zebra finches, all Australian species, engage in behaviors similar to but different from the bowing described above. The males bend down in front of the females and brush bills back and forth. This behavior seems to be connected to rearing behaviors because, prior to returning to the nest with food, parent birds always brush their bills on the ground to rid their beaks of seed hulls that may be present that could harm their young.

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