courtship display

American  

noun

1. a stereotyped pattern of behavior in animals that functions to attract and arouse a prospective mate.

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Etymology

Origin of courtship display

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

The lyrebird's tail is also flipped dramatically over its head during the courtship display, as in the above photo.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2024

And for a non-human mammal to use an object as part of a courtship display is almost unheard of, he says—which is what makes the new discovery so exciting.

From National Geographic • Oct. 20, 2017

“They show tap dancing throughout the courtship display, and they sometimes add songs to tap dancing.”

From The Guardian • Nov. 19, 2015

This courtship display happens on treetop branches the birds have stripped of their leaves, leaving a clear space in which to put on displays in the early morning light.

From National Geographic • Jul. 27, 2015

The marked similarity between elements of courtship display and aggressive display suggests common origin or the derivation of one from the other.

From Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon by Barlow, Jon C.