(VIDEO) American Avocets Mating
Photographer Laurie Jensen shared this video of two American avocets mating. Jensen said this was her “1st time ever seeing American Avocets in their mating plumage (Red-necks) and they did their mating thing.”
Excerpt from www.featheredphotography.com:
Avocets are monogamous and pairs form up in the spring when the female persistently associates with the male until she is eventually tolerated, then accepted as a mate. The female initiates copulation by…posture… It’s called Solicitation Posture and in it she holds her neck extended far out and low. At times it’s so low that much of the head, bill and neck are under water…
Once interested, the male performs Sexual Preening where he stands close to the female and extends his neck so that his bill tip can preen his breast (always on the side closest to her). …[W]ater is also used in this specialized preening process where he places his bill in the water and stirs it around vigorously…and then brings the water in his bill to his breast. The water splashing becomes more intense just before copulation.
Click here to read more about avocet mating.
You can see more of Laurie Jensen’s work at the Humboldt Bay Birds Facebook page.
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Neat! Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful!
Hot diggety Bird Pron can’t wait HOT date!!! Kidding of course interesting tho, to say the least!!! ;-]]
I read that as “Advocates” at first…
Thank you Kym It was a pretty special moment in time for me-seeing the Avocets in their mating plumage then to see the actual mating ritual What a special moment it was
“Moment” is right! Lol.
Thanks for capturing and sharing.
So the female pesters the male until he tolerates her and mates.Sounds pretty backwards if u ask me….
Is this really…appropriate material for this venue…?
Ahhhh yeah. It’s about mating. Duh!
At the end. He’s like I’m out
Yep. Gotta go to work. Later!