Zhang Licong’s video below documents an interesting aspect of courtship feeding by a pair of Coppersmith Barbets (Megalaima haemacephala)… “It is interesting to note the male held fruits in his beak during the process [of copulation] and fed the female after the act.”
An earlier post shows the male Coppersmith Barbet passing a fruit to the female and then return to claim his prize. In another instance, the male barbet indulged in two copulating sessions for the price of one fruit, although he had two pieces in his bill.
Courtship feeding is also seen in koels, hornbills, kingfishers, bee-eaters, munias, cuckoos, doves and many others yet to be documented.
Zhang Licong
Singapore
10th February 2017
This post is a cooperative effort between Birds, Insects N Creatures Of Asia and BESG to bring the study of birds and their behavior through photography and videography to a wider audience.
