One of the most brilliantly colored songbirds in the east, flaming orange and black, sharing the heraldic colors of the coat of arms of 17th-century Lord Baltimore. Widespread east of the Great Plains, Baltimore Orioles are often very common in open woods and groves in summer. Their bag-shaped hanging nests, artfully woven of plant fibers, are familiar sights in the shade trees in towns. This bird was formerly considered to belong to the same species as the western Bullock’s Oriole, under the combined name of Northern Oriole.

Boldly marked black and orange adult male is unlike any other eastern bird. Female brown above, tinged orange below, with white wing-bars, variable black on head. On Great Plains, often interbreeds with Bullock’s Oriole, producing hybrids with intermediate pattern.

Habitat

Open woods, riverside groves, elms, shade trees. Breeds in deciduous or mixed woodland, generally in open woods or edges rather than interior of dense forest. May be common in trees in towns. Often favors elms. Winters mostly in the tropics around forest edge and semi-open country.

Feeding Behavior

Forages by searching for insects among foliage of trees and shrubs. Sometimes flies out to catch insects in midair. Visits flowers for nectar, and will come to sugar-water feeders; also will come to pieces of fruit put out at feeders.

Diet

Insects, berries, nectar. In summer feeds mostly on insects, especially caterpillars, including hairy types avoided by many birds; also eats beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, bugs, and others, plus spiders and snails. Eats many berries and sometimes cultivated fruit. Feeds on nectar and will take sugar-water.

Nesting

Male sings to defend nesting territory. In courtship, male faces female and stretches upright, then bows deeply with tail spread and wings partly open. Nest site is in tall deciduous tree, placed near end of slender drooping branch, usually 20-30′ above the ground but can be 6-60′ up or higher. Nest (built by female, sometimes with help from male) is a hanging pouch, with its rim firmly attached to a branch. Nest is tightly woven of plant fibers, strips of bark, grapevines, grass, yarn, string, Spanish moss, lined with fine grass, plant down, hair.

The red-bearded bee-eater (Nyctyornis amictus) is a large species of bee-eater found in southern Myanmar, the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra and nearby smaller islands. This species is found in openings in patches of dense forest.

Description

Like other bee-eaters, they are colorful birds with long tails, long decurved beaks and pointed wings. They are large bee-eaters, predominantly green, with a red coloration to face that extends on to the slightly hanging throat feathers to form the “beard”. Their eyes are orange.

Diet

Like other bee-eaters, they predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in flight from perches concealed in foliage. They hunt alone or in pairs, rather than in flocks, and sit motionless for long periods before pursuing their prey.

Behavior

Like other bee-eaters, they nest in burrows tunneled into the side of sandy banks, but do not form colonies.

The Andean cock-of-the-rock is the national bird of Peru and the male and female are visually distinct. The male has a striking bright red head with a large crest which wraps around over the beak. Both males and females have the crest though it is larger on the males. Males also have red breast feathers. Down the back the wings and tail are black with a large white patch in the center of the upper side. These wings are wide and strong to provide maneuverability to move through the forest. Their wingspan is 23.6-25.6in across. Females are much duller in color. Their feathers are a greenish or olive-brown color across their entire body.

Both genders have a short bill with a hooked shape. Males are slightly larger than the females. On average an Andean cock-of-the-rock will measure 12-12.5in long and weigh 7-9.5oz.

The Andean cock-of-the-rock is an omnivore. Their diet includes a range of fruits, berries and insects. Small vertebrates may also be eaten on occasion. They perform an important role in dispersing seeds from fruits they eat through the forest.

South America is the native home of the Andean cock-of-the-rock. Here they can be found throughout Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. As their name suggests they live in  parts of the Andes Mountain range.

They make their home in forests and wetlands. In addition to these they can be found in rocky gorges and ravines on the borders of rivers and streams. This habitat led to the rock portion of their name.

Breeding occurs from February to July though this can vary across parts of their range. Males will gather at a location known as a lek. Here up to 15 males will compete for the mating rights of a single family. A number of males will glare at one another before one dips its head and lets out their raucous call. The others begin to join before a display of wing-flapping and head bouncing occurs. Females may approach the males throughout and their displays intensify at this point. Young males will participate in the lek before sexual maturity to try and learn the ways to be successful.

Once a female selects the male she would like to mate with she will walk behind him and nibble at his feathers or peck his neck. Males will return to the lek after mating and try to attract another a mate. Females create a nest from mud, palm fiber and saliva which is shaped like a cup. This is built against a rock or in a cave. It may take a month for her to perfect her nest and she will not mate till this is complete.

Following a successful mating the female will deposit two eggs in the nest which she incubates alone for their 22-28 day incubation. One clutch is produced each year. At hatching the chicks are highly underdeveloped and the mother provides them with food. They require care for the next 45 days.

Just Birding lists these 8 birds as top picks for Birds That Mate for Life.

Bald Eagle

Bald eagle pairs are the power couples of the avian world. Found in North America, these birds of prey have a large fan base. People get excited when they see them in the wild and love photographing them. They are the national bird of the USA, and their noble appearance suggests that they are quite aware of their dignified status symbol. Male and females are clothing coordinated with matching brown plumage, stunning white heads, and yellow beaks.

They play and work hard together to achieve the mutual goals of living life to the fullest and raising successful offspring. When it comes to romance, bald eagle pairs really fall for each other by putting on stellar courtship performances that involve flying up to a high altitude and locking talons before tumbling in a series of cartwheels in mid-air. Bald eagles often live solitary lives throughout the year but always return to the same mate every breeding season. They remain faithful to their partners except in rare instances of impotency. They often return to the same nest every year, adding to the existing structure each time. Their nests are the largest of any North American bird and one of the largest in the world. Together, pairs raise one to three chicks per nest.

 Mute Swan (pictured above)

While all swans mate for life, mute swans are the picture of classic romance. You’ve probably seen them in photographs, movies or your neighborhood pond. Courting pairs are famous for curving their long necks toward each other and creating aheart shape, as if communicating, “I love you.” They also lift their wings and gracefully bow to one another. Native to North Africa, Europe, and Asia but widely introduced to North America, southern Africa, and Australia, mute swans are beautiful birds with white plumage and orange beaks that are marked with a black knob.

It’s been said that a mute swan will grieve if its mate dies. Some experts suggest that birds don’t have emotions as we humans do. However, there is a report from a Russian zoo in 2015 of a mute swan whodied of a broken heart shortly after his mate was killed. They are called mute swans because they are not as vocal as other swan breeds, but when it comes to courting and defending their loved ones, they know how to be heard with hissing, grunting and honking. Pairs usually return to the same nest every year and share in the care of five to seven eggs.

Mourning Dove a.k.a Turtle Dove

You’ve seen those couples who are inseparable. Where you see one, you’ll see the other. The mourning doves are those “lovey-dovey” (pun totally intended) couples of the bird world. Along with other doves, they are often seen as symbols of both love and peace, two of the most important traits you need for a successful relationship. These sweet birds are light tan and gray with long, pointed tails and wings that are marked with black spots. The appearance of their plump bodies, short legs, and small beak make them easily recognized. If alarmed, they fly off quickly with their wings making a whistling sound.

Mourning doves get their name from their “mournful” cooing call. Most of the time, this is the male making the call to woo the female. He will also fluff up his feathers and bob his head when trying to win her over. Once the female accepts the male’s advances, the male will then bring her twigs to build a nest. After the female lays two eggs, both she and her partner will take turns incubating and feeding them.

Scarlet Macaw

Found in family groups in the rainforests of South America, scarlet macaws are known for being strikingly colorful birds. They sport red, blue and yellow feathers. They are noisy, funny and intelligent, and they are devoted lovers and parents. Not only do they mate for life, but scarlet macaws are attentive to one another. They share food, lick each other’s faces, and enjoy mutual preening. Other birds that mate for life sometimes are known to live separately until the breeding season, but these macaws value family life and can always be seen hanging out with one another.

When the kids come along, they usually raise two to four chicks at a time in a nest that they build in a tree hollow. Both Mom and Dad take care of their young, from incubating the eggs to feeding the nestlings. Scarlet macaws take parenting seriously and will not mate again until their current juveniles are able to live independently, which could be up to two years.

SOURCE: JUSTBIRDING.COM  DREW HAINES

The superb fairywren (Malurus cyaneus ) is a passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae, and is common and familiar across south-eastern Australia. It is a sedentary and territorial species. The superb fairywren was named ‘Australian Bird of the Year’ for 2021, after a survey conducted by Birdlife Australia saw the species narrowly defeat the tawny frogmouth with a margin of 666 votes (over 400,000 votes were cast in total).

Appearance

The males in breeding plumage have a striking bright blue forehead, ear coverts, mantle, and tail, with a black mask and black or dark blue throat. Females, immatures, and non-breeding males are a plain fawn color with a lighter underbelly and a fawn (females and immatures) or dull greyish blue (males) tail. The bill is brown in females and juveniles and black in males after their first winter.

Superb fairywrens are found throughout most of the south-eastern corner of the continent, from the south-east of South Australia (including Kangaroo Island and Adelaide) and the tip of the Eyre Peninsula, through all of Victoria, Tasmania, coastal and sub-coastal New South Wales, and Queensland, through the Brisbane area and extending inland – north to the Dawson River and west to Blackall. These birds inhabit almost any area that has at least a little dense undergrowth for shelter, including grasslands with scattered shrubs, moderately thick forest, woodland, heaths, and domestic gardens. They have adapted well to the urban environment and are common in suburban Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne.

Superb fairywrens live in small social groups consisting of 3 to 5 birds that maintain and defend their small territories year-round. These groups include a social pair with one or more male or female helper birds that were hatched in the territory and may not necessarily be the offspring of the main pair. These birds assist in defending the territory and feeding and rearing the young. Members of the group roost side-by-side in dense cover as well as engage in mutual preening. Superb fairywrens are active and restless feeders; they are active during the day and feed mainly on open ground near the shelter, but also through the lower foliage and accompany their foraging with song. They move with a series of jaunty hops and bounces. During the heat of the day group members often shelter and rest together, however, when the winter comes and food is harder to find they spend the day foraging continuously. Superb fairywrens communicate with other members of the group primarily for advertising and mobbing or defending a territory. Their alarm call is a series of brief sharp chits, universally given and understood by small birds in response to predators. Females also emit a ‘purr’ while incubating.

Superb fairywrens are socially monogamous but they exhibit a polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system; pairs bond for life, though both males and females regularly mate with other individuals. Young are often raised not by the pair alone, but with other males who also mated with the pair’s female assisting. Breeding occurs from spring through to late summer. Males perform courtship displays which include the ‘sea horse flight’, named for its seahorse-like undulations. During this exaggerated flight, the male – with his neck extended and his head feathers erect – tilts his body from horizontal to vertical, descends slowly, and springs upwards by rapidly beating his wings after alighting on the ground. The ‘face fan’ display involves the flaring of the blue ear tufts by erecting the feathers. Superb fairywrens build their nest close to the ground, under 1 m (3.3 ft), and in thick vegetation. These are round or domed structures made of loosely woven grasses and spider webs, with an entrance on one side. Females lay 3 or 4 matte white eggs with reddish-brown splotches and spots; they may lay two or more broods in such extended breeding season. The eggs are usually incubated for 14 days. Newborn chicks are blind, red, and featherless, though quickly darken as feathers grow. Their eyes open by day 5 or 6 and they are fully feathered by day 10. All group members feed the chicks for 10-14 days. Fledglings are able to feed themselves by day 40 but remain in the family group as helpers for a year or more; after that, they move to another group or assume a dominant position in the original group. In this role, they feed and care for subsequent broods and also repel cuckoos or predators.

SOURCE: ANIMALIA.BIO