Dear Editor,
Spring is here, and out of my window, I have been watching a female sparrow fluttering her wings and begging food from her chosen mate.
Then he can occasionally be seen flying along conspicuously with his beak full of impressively large nesting material.
All this is a test for the male bird; if he is attentive and a good provider, they will go on to build a nest together.
Initially, the female bird acts like a fledgling and the male acts the role of the parent.
This is their courtship ritual.
Perhaps the sparrows could teach us a much-needed lesson about male-female behaviours.
During the courtship ritual, both sexes put on an act or role-play, but the female does not stay permanently in the child role, nor does the male have to be the constant parent.
Perhaps the sparrows could teach us a lesson about male-female relationships.
Clare Marsden
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