Mating Behaviour Collection (page 5)

Two Great egrets (Ardea alba) standing opposite each other with Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) in between. Lake Csaj, Pusztaszer, Hungary, January

Male Common peafowl (Pavo cristatus) displaying feathers, Ranthambore NP, Rajasthan, India

Male Black grouse (Tetrao / Lyrurus tetrix) displaying at lek. Kuusamo, Finland, April

Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix) males at lek, Utajarvi, Finland, April

Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) pair, courtship dance at dawn, Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, Andalusia, Spain. April

Two Great egrets (Ardea alba) face to face against white sky, Lake Csaj, Pusztaszer, Hungary. Winner of the Portfolio category of the Terre Sauvage Nature Images Awards competition 2015

Three Common toads (Bufo bufo) in amplexus, Lucerne, Switzerland. March. Cropped

Common toad (Bufo bufo) and Common frog (Rana temporaria) in attempted amplexus, Lucerne, Switzerland. April

Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica), pair with male top right, during rutting season. Sierra Nevada National Park, Andalusia, Spain. October

Pair of Waved albatrosses (Phoebastria irrorata) billing as greeting. Punta Suarez, Espanola Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Wine throated hummingbird (Selasphorus ellioti) male, courtship display, Cloud forest, Atitlan Volcano, Solola, Guatemala

Ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) male in courtship display. Valkenhorst nature reserve, Valkenswaard, The Netherlands. May

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) pair engaging in courtship behavior, dancing for hours, off Tubuai, French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) male and female engaging in courtship, Tubuai, French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) male and female pair courting, Tubuai, French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean

Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica cyanecula) male, singing as a courtship display, Germany

Magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) pair in courtship display, male with gular sac inflated, North Seymour Island, Galapagos National Park, Galapagos Islands

Club-winged manakin (Machaeropterus deliciosus) male, courtship display at lek, Choco rainforest, Pichincha, Ecuador

Pair of Broadclub cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus) mating in a coral reef, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Having succeeded in gaining the female's acceptance

Spawning Leaf corals (Pavona decussata). Spawning is synchronized over a large area with many coral colonies, Kyushu, Japan, Pacific Ocean. July

Fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox) pair, mating in forest canopy, Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park, central south western Madagascar

European Common adder (Vipera berus) pair courting and retreating under gorse (Ulex sp). Buckinghamshire, England, UK. May

Pair of Red mason bees (Osmia bicornis) mating on wallflower in garden. Hertfordshire, England, UK. May. Focus Stacked

Brown hare, (Lepus europaeus), male and female displaying courting behaviour, Islay, Scotland, UK. March

Brown hare, (Lepus europaeus), males in pursuit of female that is in season, Islay, Scotland, UK. March

Pair of Spotted unicornfish (Naso brevirostris) courtship display above the reef, Ari Atoll, Maldives, Indian Ocean

Pair of Nudibranchs (Flabellina exoptata) just prior to mating, the mating apparatus of the one on left is visible, Bitung, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Molucca Sea

Two Ruffs (Philomachus pugnax) male, competing at a lek, Vardo, Norway. May

Pair of Couch's spadefoot toads (Scaphiopus couchii) mating in water, Texas, USA. June

Vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus obscurus) male, courtship display, Texas, USA. May

American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) performing courtship wing flashing, Quinta Playa, Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Pair of European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) with courtship offering of insect prey, Pusztaszer, Kiskunsagi National Park, Hungary

Magnificent bird of paradise (Cicinnurus magnificus) male, leaning back and presenting his breast shield and raised cape to two females, courtship display, Arfak Mountains, West Papua, Indonesia

Wilson's bird of paradise (Cicinnurus respublica) male, courtship display, Batanta Island, West Papua, Indonesia

Pair of Wilson's birds of paradise (Cicinnurus respublica), male performing courtship display to female from a small sapling in the middle of his display court, Batanta Island, West Papua

Vogelkop bowerbird (Amblyornis inornatus) male, at his bower surrounded by orange leaves and petals and other objects he has collected, Arfak Mountains, Vogelkop Peninsula, West Papua

Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) male, standing with wings spread in courtship display, Prion Island, South Georgia

Magnificent riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus alberti) male, courtship display, Piccaninny Plains Sanctuary, Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia

Pair of Lava gulls (Leucophaeus fuliginosus) during courtship, Genovesa Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Flock of American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) performing courtship strutting and wing flashing, Quinta Playa, Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Male Beautiful sunbird (Cinnyris Pulchellus) courtship display, Allahein River, The Gambia

Pair of Peppermint basslets (Liopropoma rubre) spawning at sunset, with eggs floating alongside the female, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, Caribbean Sea

Two male Black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) fighting for territory on lek, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK. May

Male Black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) performing courtship display at lek, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK. April

Two male Black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) fighting and sparing over territory at a snow covered lek, Vasterbotten, Sweden. April

Male Western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) calling during lek mating, Finland. March

Pair of adult Red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena) calling, Finland. May

Close up of male Western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) during lek mating, Finland. March

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"Mating Behaviour: A Spectacle of Love and Courtship in the Animal Kingdom" From the enchanting blue-footed booby courting pair on Santa Cruz Island to the adorable Atlantic Puffins engaging in bill rubbing on Skomer Island, witness nature's romantic rituals unfold. The male Leach's sea star mesmerizes with its unique broadcast spawning, releasing streams of sperm from its arms in Kagoshima Prefecture. In Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese cranes display their affectionate wings in a heart shape while Andean cock-of-the-rock males compete for attention at leks high up in trees. Even mountain hares join the dance of love as they box playfully amidst snowy landscapes in Scotland. The Australasian crested grebe pair showcases an elegant courtship display, while their great crested counterparts perform a captivating weed dance during courtship. In another snowy scene from Hokkaido, Japanese cranes gracefully display their love amidst winter wonderland. Atlantic Puffins continue to steal hearts with their ritualistic bill rubbing, while male Sage Grouse put on elaborate courtship displays that leave spectators awe-struck in Baggs, Wyoming. Lastly, female limpets release a stream of eggs into the water off Hokkaido's coast—nature's delicate contribution to life's cycle. These glimpses into mating behaviour remind us of the beauty and diversity found within our natural world, and is through these intricate dances and displays that bonds are formed and future generations ensured—a testament to the power of love across species boundaries.