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

These celebrated, beloved residents of the archipelago perform a highly ritualized courtship display, complete with an elaborate dance that shows off the relative blue-ness of their feet.

From New York Times • Mar. 6, 2017

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

From The Guardian • Nov. 19, 2015

It was an excellent example of a coloration mark which served a purely advertising purpose; apparently it was part of a courtship display.

From Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Roosevelt, Theodore