The Mating Dances of Spring

   I was lucky enough to witness yesterday the mating dance of the Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). A pair of these beautiful birds were fluttering up to each other on a pebble path next to the grape trellis in our backyard. It is not a complicated dance.

   We have had Brown Thrashers living in our yard for several years. The last nest we spotted was in a tall bush in between our house and that of our next door neighbor. The rufous brown feathers, curved beak and striped breasts of Brown Thrashers make these birds unmistakable.

   Six or seven years ago, Berry and I were lucky enough also to see the mating dance of the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). We were birding behind a casino in Tunica, Mississippi. The pair of large woodpeckers played peek-a-boo on either side of a large branch. We were 25 feet away, inside a car, with binoculars and a clear shot. It was amazing.

   Here is an excellent video of two Pileated Woodpecker's mating dance. They are dancing around a tree. A third woodpecker approaches but is chased away. This dance lasted ten minutes, according to the author. I am not the author of this video. Thanks to srb1071 on Youtube.



Robert