Crested ibises reject courtship on the Ma River

Two crested ibises give waterweeds to each other as souvenirs

Finding territory, crouching on the surface of the water, finding targets flying up, looking at each other, dancing and courting, exchanging keepsakes, hand in hand, choosing a nest... Recently, Li Li, director of the Panther Wildlife Conservation Station, monitored water birds in the Area of juma River in Fangshan Mountain and photographed the whole process of courtship of crested ibises (pì tī).

At first, a male crested ibis, full of food and drink, swam in front of a swarm of reeds, looking for a territory of its own, and when it found it, it was necessary to defend it. Then the crested ibis curled up motionlessly, resting in the waters in front of the reeds.

"Crested ibises are summer migratory birds. In Beijing's major parks, as long as the water is relatively wide and reeded, there will be crested ibises. Summer migratory birds began courtship after arriving in Beijing, which is their breeding ground. Li Li introduced, "We have been monitoring them and filmed a very interesting courtship process." ”

Immediately after, a female bird appeared in front of her, and the male swam out of the reeds and flew in the direction of the female bird. "He was afraid that the female bird would be found and snatched away by other male birds, so he flew over with the enclave." Li Li said with a smile.

After the two birds meet, they greet each other, and then they circle each other, look at each other and admire each other. The male, on the other hand, strives to show his prettiest side to the female, and when he is happy, he opens his mouth and makes a chirp. When they fell in love with each other, the two birds both dived into the water, grabbed some aquatic weeds from the bottom of the water, and gave them to each other as a souvenir.

"Both sides looked at each other, they both got the keepsake, the excitement came up, and they began to tread water. Crested ibises are half-webbed, unlike ducks whose fins are fully connected. When they tread water, they shake their heads like water ballet dancers. As if to say, I like you, I like you! Li Li introduced that the crested ibis's head has two crown feathers on its head, and there are also very beautiful feathers on its neck, and when it shakes its head, the hair will move and look very beautiful. With shaking his head and treading water, the courtship dance entered a climax.

Almost finished jumping, the female followed the male home. "After returning to the territory of the male bird, he still has to find a place to nest, and he has to find a place for the female bird to look at." Li Li told reporters that crested ibises like to use floating nests, floating on the surface of the water, with the fluctuations of the water. In order to prevent drifting, it is necessary to find a few reeds that grow relatively well as a fix, and then start to find branches and reeds nearby to build a nest.

"Crested ibises are increasing in the waters of Beijing, and citizens see birds that shake their heads and tread water, which is the crested ibis." Li Li told reporters that the crested ibises courtship, some can be achieved in two or three days, some can be achieved in one day, and the pair photographed will "flash marriage" in half a day. "Humans have a human aesthetic, and wild animals have a wild animal aesthetic. We should not disturb each other, respect each other, keep a safe distance, and live in symbiosis with nature. ”

Photo by Yu Lishuang and Li Li, reporters of this newspaper