Courtship behavior is instinctive, and each species goes about it in its own unique way. In many birds, males play the dominant role in attracting and courting a mate. Courtship rituals may include songs, visual displays, nest-building, food presentations, or mutual preening.
Courtship usually occurs in the spring when food is plentiful.
Most birds are monogamous, having only one mate per breeding season. Depending on the species, the bond between the pair may last for only one year or a whole lifetime, as in swans. Some birds are polygamous and take more than one mate in a season. Usually the members of the pair do not remain together after mating. Often a female tends her eggs and raises the young alone.