This Christmas we learn that it is not just a trait that humans have, but birds also have the habit of gift-giving. Some birds have the habit of giving gifts to their partners that are basically moss or sticks.
While we might not be happy with the gifts that we receive on some special days, we certainly can be happy that we are not female
scorpionflies
, as all you will receive is just a ball of spit from your partner. However, they are never dejected by it and even relish that as a treat as a reward for their male suitors.
Not just flies, even animals like snails, earthworms, great grey shrikes, and squids also give gifts like thorns, and twigs to their partners. This phenomenon is also most common among insects and arachnids.
What do birds gift their partner?
Birds often give gifts to their partner as a gesture of mating.
Bowerbirds
Male bowerbirds build elaborate structures of bowers and decorate them with colorful objects like flowers, berries, or shiny items to attract females.
Albatrosses
They engage in intricate courtship dances and may exchange small items like pebbles or shells as part of their bonding process.
Crows and Ravens
These birds sometimes give shiny objects or food to their mates.
Kingfishers
Male kingfishers often present fish to females as a courtship gift to demonstrate their ability to provide.
Penguins
Male Adélie and Gentoo penguins present pebbles to their potential mates, which the females use to build their nests.
According to a report on BBC, nursery web spiders present their potential mate with a prey wrapped in silk to make it more attractive and impress the female. However, these male spiders are said to be cheaters as they make the wrapping of the gift very special and in the time while the females are busy unwrapping it, the spiders immediately mate and leave before the female even realises that the gift is nothing but just a fake wrapping of silk, explained ecologist Drryl Gwyne in his interview with BBC.
A publication in 2022 mentioned that Chinese entomologist Chufei Tang of China's Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences uncovered an example of insect gift-giving preserved in 99-million-year-old amber. She revealed that inside the ancient amber, a male fly of the genus Alavesia grasps an empty, frothy balloon made of mucus between his legs - which is a nuptial gift given by the male fly to the female to mate with them. The female flies benefit from these gifts as it has nutritional value, a study noted.
Gift-giving in the animal kingdom is often linked to survival, reproduction, and social bonding, making it a fascinating parallel to human practices.
English (US) ·