Critters and Courtship
By Eliot Berz
Canada Geese are monogamous bird species that often mates for life.
It’s that time of year when critters are pairing up to raise young. If you pay close enough attention, you can witness these spectacles for yourself next time you’re in the Tennessee River Gorge. Songbirds start singing their everlasting hearts out, male turkeys let out gobbling pleas for any nearby hens, and bald eagles do their spiraling courtship dance. These courtship activities vary, especially depending on whether the species utilize a monogamous or polygamous mating strategy. For the monogamous species, courtship activities may carry on throughout the season to strengthen these relationships or to deter competing suitors. Many species in the Tennessee River Gorge mate for life, such as bald eagles, beavers, and Canada geese. Each species has its own unique behaviors when it comes to courtship or pairing. From leaving scent trails for nearby suitors, like bobcats and whitetail deer, to elaborate routines like the displays of the Sandhill Crane. Here are a few of the fascinating breeding season behaviors exhibited by wildlife in the Tennessee River Gorge.
A female turkey, commonly referred to as a hen, patiently waiting for a Tom (full-grown adult male) preparing to strut his stuff.