The American Avocets have an interesting sequence of displays during mating. The female initiates the mating by assuming a posture where she extends her neck forward and lays her bill flat on or near the water surface, holding her tail up. While the female is in this posture, the male moves around her and stirs water underneath vigorously and this is followed by breast preening. At the end of mating the pair cross bills and the male places his wing over the female and they stroll away in a "romantic" manner.
I took these photos at Frank Lake, 50 km southeast of Calgary near High River, in Alberta.
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