Special thanks to Susie Treis for inviting me to be the luncheon speaker at the Beta Sigma Phi annual meeting at the Jubilee Banquet Hall on Callahan Road last Saturday.
Being so close to Valentine's Day our topic was Bird Romance: courtship, pair bonding, nest building and raising a family. We chatted about several common backyard species with each having different life histories and since I looked out on a sea of crimson, I naturally began the talk with our own redbird, the Northern cardinal.
Female birds choose their mates. Each species has different criteria. Plumage color, song quality, claimed territory and attentiveness all come into play. In the photo above right, the male cardinal offers food to the female as if to say, I'll provide for you when you are nest bound with our clutch. And he does because if he doesn't she will not stick around for a second brood.
Thank you to all.
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