When we heard Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish, we couldn’t help but think how many birds would relate to that song. So we decided to make a post about five birds that mate for life.
We hope you enjoy discovering that monogamy and partnership longevity is something natural that even some animals experience. In fact, one of our close friends who works in Ridgway’s hawk conservation recently had a pair that had been together for 10 years before one of them passed away.
If you are interested in learning fun animal facts like this, you can check out some of the other posts we have in our animal education section.
- How Do Birds Mate? [with video]
- Otters Holding Hands: it doesn’t mean what you think
- What Monkey is Curious George?
Without further ado, let’s check out these birds!
1. Atlantic Puffins
The Atlantic puffin or common puffin (Fratercula arctica), is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean. Their most common home is the Westman Islands, Iceland. But, you can find them in Maine in the United States and other countries like Greenland, Russia, Norway, and more.
They spend most of their time at sea, coming to shore only to breed. Outside of the breeding season, they forage alone, but during breeding season they do it in small groups of up to 7 (which sounds relatable, they are getting out there). However, they are considered social birds because they nest close to each other.
When they are ready to mate, the male approaches the female with a strategy of head flicking and grunting. Once they mate, they are considered monogamous. They are spotted returning to the same burrow with the same mate each year. Their relationship is strengthened by acts of affection such as rubbing their bills together. Once they procreate, their chicks are known as “pufflings.”
2. Bald Eagle
In one of several spectacular courtship displays, a male and female fly high into the sky, lock talons, and cartwheel downward together, breaking off at the last instant to avoid crashing to earth.
– Cornell Lab of Orthinology
There’s literally nothing more romantic than watching two bald eagles in a courtship ritual. Truly, that’s the kind of romance we would like in our personal lives.
The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), is a native bird to North America. Therefore, you can usually spot them in the United States, Canada, Alaska, and even northern Mexico. They usually prefer to hang near large bodies of water with old-growth trees nearby.
Normally, they prefer to be on their own, but they gather at feeding sites, mostly in the winter. Regardless of their preference for being alone, once they mate, they do it for life. If one of them dies, the widow will usually find another mate but keep going to the same territory. This is sweet because, during the breeding season, you can catch the eagles defending their territory from various intruders such as raptors, ravens, coyotes, and foxes. So they are staying on the territory their deceased mate worked so hard to protect.
3. Albatross
Albatrosses (Diomedeidae) are big seabirds found within the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific. They are considered to be on the list of largest flying birds.
You will rarely catch albatrosses in land as they only leave the water to breed. After finding a mate, they are really likely to spend their entire lives together. That means a lot, since they have a long lifespanfor an animal, some have been documented to have reached 50 years of age.
They usually build equal partnerships, as one pair of albatrosses produces a single egg which they take turns to take care of. Yup, they all suffer from single child syndrome.
4. Black Vulture
Black vultures (Coragyps atratus) can be found from the south of the United States all the way to South America. You have probably heard about them because they are a bird species commonly socially associated with death, as they mainly eat dead animals.
Something nice that you probably have never heard about them is that they can form strong monogamous relationships that last their lifetime. They don’t live as long as albatrosses, but their 25 year lifespan is still a long time to have the same partner.
They are mostly social, as they are frequently seen in big flocks. This could be because they are really family oriented and attentive parents.
5. Scarlet macaw
The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is naturally found in the humid forests of the Americas. Their geographic range goes from the south of Mexico all the way to Brazil. They are a popular bird because of their beautiful plumage.
Like the black vultures, scarlet macaws are family oriented. They are commonly spotted in a large flock of up to 30 birds. If they are not seen in a large flock, they are seen in pairs, as they form monogamous bonds that last for life. They are so attached to their mate, that males are very seldom seen alone, except for when each one of them are carrying their role in the family (females incubate and males feed).
Their breeding season starts in October and ends in April, but it varies according to their location.
Conclusion
We hope this post fed your curiosity and left you with interesting facts to share with your family, coworkers and friends!
We have many more posts you could check out in our animal education section. As well as profiles on endangered species that are not as well known as whales and dolphins. We write those profiles because the more you read and learn about them, the chances of bringing them up in conversation goes up. Therefore, the probability of them gaining the recognition they deserve to have conservation initiatives directed at them also goes up.
We deeply believe that learning about animals is not a mundane task. The more you know about biology and the animal world, the more you realize how interconnected it is with the human world. The discovery of similarities and intrinsic value may allow people to grow in empathy towards animals, which, in the long run, always helps preserve their lives and the ecosystems we depend on. So, thank you for your curiosity.