What happens if a birds mate dies?

Table of Contents

Quick answers

Birds often form strong pair bonds with their mates. If one mate dies, the remaining bird may react in different ways depending on the species. Some common reactions include:

Mourning and calling out for the lost mate
Searching for the mate

Becoming more aggressive or territorial
Failing to breed or care for young
Taking a new mate

The surviving bird’s behavior depends on factors like how long the pair bond lasted, the availability of new mates, the presence of eggs or young, and the species’ typical mating habits. Most birds will eventually take a new mate and continue breeding.

What happens right after a bird’s mate dies?

When a mated bird suddenly loses its partner, the initial reaction is often distress calling and searching. The surviving bird may repeatedly return to favorite perching spots and call for its missing mate. This behavior reflects the bird’s instinct to reunite with its pair bonded partner. Some specific examples include:

Herring gulls perform loud “mourning wails” to express grief over a lost mate.

Male prairie voles become agitated and scan the environment for their partner.
Monogamous owl species, including barn owls, screech owls, and burrowing owls, emit piercing vocalizations and fly larger hunting ranges in search of their mates.

Intense searching and calling may continue for several days or weeks. The duration likely depends on how long the pair bond existed. Birds with stronger pair bonds may mourn longer over a lost partner.

Effects of losing a mate

Losing a mate can negatively impact a bird in various ways:

Stress: The bird experiences significant psychological stress from the loss, which causes high corticosterone levels.
Disorientation: The bird acts confused by the absence and lacks its familiar social companion.

Increased predation risk: The lone bird may take greater risks while searching for its mate.
Neglected offspring: Some parent birds fail to properly feed nestlings when widowed.
No breeding: The bird may not breed again until finding a new mate.

However, most birds are resilient enough to cope and eventually move on after mourning a partner.

Do widow birds look for new mates?

In most bird species, the surviving mate will eventually seek a new partner. This allows the bird to regain the essential social, breeding, and parenting dynamics that pair bonds provide.

Some specific examples of birds taking new mates include:

Scarlet macaws generally find a new mate within a few days if a partner dies. Their main priority is maintaining their breeding capability.
Eurasian oystercatchers usually rebond with a new partner within 1-3 weeks of losing a mate.
Wild turkeys, which form flocks with complex social hierarchies, will court new mates within 2-4 weeks of losing a breeding partner.

Male ring-necked pheasants display courtship rituals to attract new mates shortly after losing their female partner.

However, the ability and timing to find a new mate depends heavily on the:

Availability of unpaired birds of the opposite sex

densities of bird populations in the habitat
mobility to seek partners in new areas
time constraints of the breeding season

If few potential mates exist, the widow bird may wait until circumstances improve. Some exceptions are birds that pair bond for life, like geese, swans, and albatrosses. These monogamous species may never accept a new partner.

Behaviors that help birds find new mates

Birds engage in various behaviors to help attract and bond with new mates, including:

Bright plumage displays

Courtship feeding of potential mates
Nest building and other breeding site displays
Increased singing and dancing

Ritualized fighting between rivals

These instinctual mating behaviors stimulate pair bonding between the widowed bird and new partners. For example, male birds may put extra effort into elaborate mating displays. Females assess male display traits to select the fittest mate.

Do some birds fail to find new mates?

While most birds eventually repair bond, situations exist where widowed birds fail to find new mates, such as:

Death late in breeding season – Fewer unpaired mates are available.
Low population density – Especially impacts endangered species.
Fragmented habitats – Harder to locate new partners.

Unsuitable replacement habitat – If bird must relocate.
Old age – Reduced survival needs and mating effort.
Illness or injury – Makes birds less attractive mates.

In these scenarios, the widowed bird likely skips breeding that season. However, most birds are resourceful when it comes to finding partners and breeding opportunities. With time and luck, the bird finds a new mate later on or in the next breeding season.

Outcomes for different bird species

Species	Typical outcome if mate dies
Bald Eagles	Quickly find new mates. High priority on maintaining nesting territory.
Barn owls	May temporarily abandon eggs/chicks. Eventually new mates.
Black vultures	Mate for life. Widowed birds rarely find new mates.
Mute swans	Form lifelong pair bonds. Widowed birds often fail to rebond.
Scarlet macaws	Rapidly find new mates. Quick resumption of breeding.

As seen, life history drives each species’ typical behavior and outcomes when a mate dies. Short-lived birds prioritize quick remating, while long-lived monogamous birds resist accepting new partners.

Can a widowed bird still successfully breed and care for young?

In most cases, widowed birds can still successfully breed and care for offspring once they find a new mate. However, some challenges exist including:

Need to rapidly establish pair bond and breeding behaviors with the new, unfamiliar mate.
Potential aggression from the new mate towards any existing chicks or eggs.
Lower chances of successful incubation and brooding if only one parent.

Increased workload for the single parent providing for the nestlings.

Despite these hurdles, most widowed birds are still motivated to breed. Their resilience is evidenced by species including:

Great horned owls – The female may mate with a new male who adopts existing owlets as his own.

Red-winged blackbirds – The male attracts a new female who finishes incubating eggs and raising young.
Mallards – The male alone can successfully raise a brood, then rebond with a female for later nests.

With the normal clutches, breeding seasons, and caregiving instincts most birds possess, they can bounce back from a lost mate and ensure their genes carry on.

Behaviors that help widowed birds breed and raise young

To successfully start new families, widowed birds utilize behaviors like:

Rapid courtship and mating – To breed again before season ends.
High parental dedication – Caring for eggs or chicks alone if needed.

Nest/territory maintenance – Preserving optimal breeding sites.
Brood adoption – Some mates adopt unrelated chicks.
Cooperative breeding – Helper birds assist overwhelmed single parents.

These instictual adaptations allow birds to continue breeding after losing their bonded partner. This resiliency helps the species survive despite challenges.

Do birds grieve for their dead mates?

Many ornithologists believe birds likely do experience a real mourning process after a mate dies:

Distress calls imply a sense of loss and yearning for the mate.

Searching behaviors suggest birds remember and seek their absent partner.
Neurochemistry studies show grief-related surges in stress hormones.
Disrupted breeding and brooding signify feelings of depression.

Lifelong, monogamous birds show the most grief when a mate dies.

However, there is debate about true emotion in birds. Critics argue the behaviors are simply instinctual reactions triggered by the lost pair bond. But most evidence now suggests many bird species have the capacity for real mourning and grief.

Behaviors that suggest birds grieve

Specific behaviors that imply grief over a dead mate include:

Repeatedly returning to a deceased mate’s body.
Preserving or interacting gently with the mate’s remains.
Screaming alarm or sorrow calls.

Sitting motionless and refusing to eat or drink (in extreme cases).
Holding vigil near the mate’s body for days.
Carrying, burying or concealing the mate’s body.

Absently bringing food to offer the former mate.
Building courting nests or performing mating displays meant for the lost mate.

These actions indicate a lasting attachment to the deceased partner. While the grief eventually fades, the mourning period can last weeks or months.

How does the ability to grieve benefit birds from an evolutionary perspective?

The ability to mourn dead mates may benefit birds in these key ways:

Coping mechanism – Grieving helps birds slowly adjust to the trauma of a lost mate.
Strengthens pair bonds – Grief shows the value of the lost mate, encouraging future bonds.

Teaches mate recognition – Grieving a distinct mate helps later identification.
Enhances survival – Short-term grieving promotes long-term wellness and breeding.
Disease avoidance – Grieving deters interacting with dead mates that may carry pathogens.

In short, grief exists because its benefits outweigh its costs. Emotion evolved in birds when it improved reproductive success rates and survival enough to be selected for. Despite the short-term pain, grieving ultimately helps birds thrive.

The adaptive value of grieving

From an evolutionary perspective, the advantages of grief include:

Motivates birds to seek new mates and breeding opportunities.

Strengthens the fidelity and productivity of future pair bonds.
Encourages behaviors that boost social status and attractiveness.
May reduce vulnerability to predators during initial mourning.

Promotes behaviors that help rear any orphaned young.

These benefits outline why natural selection likely preserved mourning behaviors in most birds. Though emotionally taxing, grieving offers clear reproductive and survival advantages.

Conclusion

The death of a bonded mate is a severe challenge for most birds. Typical reactions include an initial grieving process followed by seeking new partners. With their strong drive to breed and adequate mating opportunities, most widowed birds successfully find a replacement mate. Though some struggle if conditions are poor, birds demonstrate remarkable resilience after losing their longtime partners. By studying mourning behaviors, it becomes evident that birds likely do experience true grief and mourning over their dead mates. These complex behaviors and emotions suggest birds possess greater intelligence and awareness than once realized.