“A repertoire of songs was what attracted me to a pair of Common Ioras (Aegithina tiphia) recently.
“The male, which was in breeding plumage (above left), was courting a female. He was leaning downwards towards the female and singing to attract her attention. The female, which was located less than half a metre away and on a lower perch, was facing away from the male (above right). The courting by the male carried on for about 5 minutes with occasional raising and fanning of its tail feathers. This was accompanied by its songs and stretching of its body towards the female. However, the male failed to attract the female’s attention. Throughout this period, the female did not even take a look at the male.
“Although seemingly uninterested, when the male flew off to another tree, the female quickly followed. Another interesting note is the female’s appearance after the male’s attempt at courting. It appeared all puffed-up with a large patch of its white flank feathers exposed. Could this be a display of attraction?
“Unfortunately, the action cannot be followed as they flew into cover of the wooded area.”
Kwong Wai Chong
Singapore
19th March 2010
Check our out earlier post where the female Common Iora literally “fell heads over heels” with the male.
One Response