Ihtesham Kabir
When I was in Hakaluki Haor last February, I witnessed a strange spectacle.
A small bird shot up skyward from the bush covering the dry haor. Reaching perhaps a hundred feet, it started flying in circles while emitting a loud and distinct call - sweer-sweer-sweer-... After several minutes of this apparently aimless and loud activity, it exhausted itself and dropped to the ground like a rock. A few minutes later it shot up again and the cycle repeated.
What I saw was the mating ritual of the bird. The Bengal Bush Lark inhabits our open grasslands, scrub bushes and haors, feeding on small insects and seeds, jumping from bush to bush or foraging in the ground, and generally maintaining a low profile, the boring grey colours of its small six-inch frame camouflaging it well against raptors and prey alike. But it was spring, time to breed. It had thrown caution to the wind in its urge to reproduce.
Next to survival, breeding and reproduction is probably the strongest instinct of all living beings. After winter's cold, it is breeding time for many birds and animals which start searching for mates – sometimes using elaborate and unusual props and procedures.
Like humans dressing up to go to a social function or a ball, many birds change plumage during breeding. Our ubiquitous Pond Heron (Kani Boga) normally wears grey and white feathers to help it hide in plain sight while looking for fish. Its camouflage is effective. I have missed it many times at the edge of a paddy field or a pond, only to be surprised by the sudden white flash of its wings as it took flight when I came uncomfortably close. However, during breeding season, its boring plumage turns into a pretty maroon colour.
The male Peacock's spread-out fan is perhaps the best known mating prop of the avian world. The Peacock's fan is made of feathers that grow out of the bird's back. The numerous “eyes” of the feathers, each resembling a bright blue iris, are designed to exploit a simple truth of the animal world: eyes are universal icons. For animals with vision, whether they are birds, insects, mammals or fish, eyes can simultaneously attract and frighten. It is these “eyes” that draw female peacocks to males.
Incidentally, some male butterflies also use eye patterns in their wings to attract females through a courtship “dance.” In their short lifespan (adult butterflies live for about four weeks), females mate once, while males may mate several times.
Many other animals also engage in interesting mating behaviour. In his book Desert Solitaire, author Edward Abbey describes the mating dance of two gopher snakes: “...they wind and unwind about each other in undulant, graceful, perpetual motion, moving slowly across a dome of sandstone. Invisible but tangible as music is the passion which joins them...” But then the snakes discover Abbey is watching. Giving him a shocked and accusing glare they disengage and run away.
Thus the breeding season shows the ingenuity that animals practice while trying to preserve their lineage.
Pond heron in breeding plumage. Photo: Ihtisham Kabir
A small bird shot up skyward from the bush covering the dry haor. Reaching perhaps a hundred feet, it started flying in circles while emitting a loud and distinct call - sweer-sweer-sweer-... After several minutes of this apparently aimless and loud activity, it exhausted itself and dropped to the ground like a rock. A few minutes later it shot up again and the cycle repeated.
What I saw was the mating ritual of the bird. The Bengal Bush Lark inhabits our open grasslands, scrub bushes and haors, feeding on small insects and seeds, jumping from bush to bush or foraging in the ground, and generally maintaining a low profile, the boring grey colours of its small six-inch frame camouflaging it well against raptors and prey alike. But it was spring, time to breed. It had thrown caution to the wind in its urge to reproduce.
Next to survival, breeding and reproduction is probably the strongest instinct of all living beings. After winter's cold, it is breeding time for many birds and animals which start searching for mates – sometimes using elaborate and unusual props and procedures.
Like humans dressing up to go to a social function or a ball, many birds change plumage during breeding. Our ubiquitous Pond Heron (Kani Boga) normally wears grey and white feathers to help it hide in plain sight while looking for fish. Its camouflage is effective. I have missed it many times at the edge of a paddy field or a pond, only to be surprised by the sudden white flash of its wings as it took flight when I came uncomfortably close. However, during breeding season, its boring plumage turns into a pretty maroon colour.
The male Peacock's spread-out fan is perhaps the best known mating prop of the avian world. The Peacock's fan is made of feathers that grow out of the bird's back. The numerous “eyes” of the feathers, each resembling a bright blue iris, are designed to exploit a simple truth of the animal world: eyes are universal icons. For animals with vision, whether they are birds, insects, mammals or fish, eyes can simultaneously attract and frighten. It is these “eyes” that draw female peacocks to males.
Incidentally, some male butterflies also use eye patterns in their wings to attract females through a courtship “dance.” In their short lifespan (adult butterflies live for about four weeks), females mate once, while males may mate several times.
Many other animals also engage in interesting mating behaviour. In his book Desert Solitaire, author Edward Abbey describes the mating dance of two gopher snakes: “...they wind and unwind about each other in undulant, graceful, perpetual motion, moving slowly across a dome of sandstone. Invisible but tangible as music is the passion which joins them...” But then the snakes discover Abbey is watching. Giving him a shocked and accusing glare they disengage and run away.
Thus the breeding season shows the ingenuity that animals practice while trying to preserve their lineage.
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