@marianomariano 21 May 2022

Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) - the most spectacular mating season of birds The capercaillies are birds whose mating season is considered to be one of the most spectacular. The ceremony begins at the beginning of March and lasts until May. Mating of the capercaillie The male, i.e. the cock, about 1/3 larger than the female, finds a secluded place. There he spreads his beautiful tail like a fan, lowers his wings and raises his head high up. Then it starts to produce a series of sounds that consists of 4 parts, phrases. The entire ceremony begins on a tree, usually at sunrise. The first part of "tooting" is the so-called "flop", which is similar to the sound of two poles hitting each other. The second part is "trilling", the third is "corking" - the name is not accidental, because it sounds like taking a cork out of a bottle. And the last phase is "grinding", also the sound resembles human activities, eg rubbing a stone against metal or sharpening a scythe. These four sounds are intended to effectively lure a female to a male. Outside of the mating season, males live alone.