MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 5, 2024
About 95% of all species of birds have a monogamous mating system. A male and a female will develop a pair bond and raise one or more clutches of eggs together. Some birds, like swans, common loons and bald eagles, mate for life with permanent pair bonds. Others, like ducks, change partners every year but maintain a single pair bond each year. Some species with multiple clutches in a season, like the eastern phoebe, may change partners with every clutch. Another type of mating system involving pair bonds is polygyny, where a male maintains pair bonds with multiple females. The red-winged blackbird is an example. The tables are turned in polyandry, where a female has multiple pair bonds with males. Even rarer are polygamous systems, where both males and females have multiple partners in the same breeding season. Woodcocks fit into a fifth category. They don’t believe in pair bonds. ~ Herb Wilson