breeding behavior
Courtship and reproduction
Breeding behavior refers to the actions animals perform to reproduce—courtship displays, mating rituals, nest-building, and care of offspring.
Scientists study breeding behavior to understand species survival and evolution: The researchers documented the breeding behavior of emperor penguins.
The term sometimes appears in discussions of human reproduction, usually with clinical or disapproving overtones.
- monogamyOne partner at a time
- nest buildingAssembling a shelter for young
- pheromonesSpecies-specific chemical messengers
- polygamyMultiple concurrent spouses
- broodingAnxiously dwelling on something
provisioning · seasonal cycles · lactation · courtship displays · mating ritual · mating calls · spawning grounds · hermaphroditism · social hierarchies · bird song · estrus · mate guarding · migration patterns · cloaca · burrowing · territoriality · imprinting · egg laying
breeding behaviorsurvival instincts
Inborn drive to stay alive
self-preservation · feeding behavior · territorial defense · defensive behavior · thermoregulation
breeding behaviorcelibacy
Abstaining from intimate relations
breeding, behavior, breed, breeds, bred, breeder, breeders, inbreeding, crossbreeding