A Gift For The Lady
During the courtship period, the male Arctic Tern will fly through the air with a fish, attracting one or more females who beg for it. Male becomes more willing to hand over fish as potential mates become familiar with each other. For five to ten days he feeds the female more regularly as Courtship Feeding becomes Mate Feeding. During this “honeymoon period,” pair spends much of day on feeding grounds, where female perches while male fishes and carries food to her; male’s close attendance probably functions as mate-guarding. After laying first egg, some females solicit food from other males. Mate-feeding ends shortly after last egg laid, but male occasionally brings fish to nest during incubation.
Ok so I didn’t cook it by claylaner on Flickr.
