News > Why these seabirds stage a rowdy springtime love-in
Why these seabirds stage a rowdy springtime love-in
16/10/2022 11:53 PM | Click to read full article
For 36 years, biologist Ian Jones has been studying the crested auklet (Aethia cristatella). The professor at Memorial University in Newfoundland, has observed the birds’ 8-week breeding season: the sights, sounds, smells, and moves.
“Doing all sorts of weird things.” This cliffside encounter finds one subadult and one adult bird beak to beak; during courtship displays, the black pupils of males’ eyes shrink to pinpoint within their white irises.