With plumage of intense and other-worldly colors, deployable regal crests, and behavior that ranges from coy to maniacal, parrots have little trouble attracting our attention. But what traits fare best for these birds when their goal is inspiring love in potential parrot mates? Is a parrot sexy in the eyes of other parrots because it is a good provider, attentive, talented, or beautiful?

Of the parrots’ many qualities, colorful plumage is surely its most spectacular: blue and gold; red and green; blue, yellow, green, orange, red. These brilliant colors are not just splashed on these birds; they’ve soaked right through. It would seem that the fantastically gorgeous plumage of parrots would be obvious sexual attractants for mates. But when the would-be mate is flying the same colors, how sexy is that? In fact, 75 percent of parrots species are classified as sexually monomorphic, which means that males and female resemble each other physically.

It turns out that it’s not just color but the intensity of feather color that can be a turn-on to a prospective mate. Color intensity signals good health, immunity, parental care abilities, and breeding success — all key things to know if you’re in the market for a mate. In a study of wild Burrowing Parrots in Patagonia, Argentina, researchers found that the more intensely red the abdominal feathers on the parrots were, the better was their success in breeding.

Color intensity is a physical characteristic that we, as humans, can observe. But research shows that while male and females parrots of the same species look similar to us — they look different to each other. A parrot’s highly sensitive tetrachromatic avian eye can see the entire UV spectrum, while we only perceive light in the near-ultraviolet spectrum. So there’s a whole world of fluorescent color that a parrot’s eyes can visualize that our humans eyes just can’t.

Budgerigars have yellow fluorescent plumage on their crowns and cheeks. To determine if the fluorescent patches are used in courtship displays, researchers covered the crown feathers of male and female birds with sunscreen, limiting their ability to absorb UV light. Other male and female budgies spent more time courting “glowing” companions, ignoring those with dulled feathers. What the study showed was that the more a suitor glowed, the more alluring it was to a prospective budgie mate.

But don’t get the wrong idea: in the parrot world, mating is not based on looks alone. Some parrots appreciate “talent” or showmanship in a mate. In the kakapo’s mating system, the males go to a prominent location, such as a hilltop, and create a courtship area known as a lek, or a group of bowl-like indentations dug in the ground. When the males gather, they compete for the best spots, and then begin calling for the females. The male mating call is a very loud, low booming sound that can be heard for several miles. The booming goes on all night, every night, for as long as several months. At the same time, the males spread their wings and do a hopping dance. When females show up, they pick out the best boomers and hoppers for one blissful night of mating.

It should come as no surprise that music can woo a female. A good, strong singing voice in the bird world indicates good health, strong immunity, and a successful partner. But a study of budgerigars found that while a female appreciates vocal abilities, she actually prefers to mate with a male who sounds like her.

Glowing plumage, fancy moves, and a beautiful singing voice go a long way toward attracting a mate, but nothing says sexy to parrots like regurgitation. Though sometimes used as a reward for sex, many parrot species use food regurgitation as a part of the courtship ritual. Parrot couples exchange food, and thus information, on the quality of mate. A healthy amount of regurgitation tells the female that the courter can provide for her and her brood if she decides to choose him.

Those vibrant colors, beautiful voices, and fancy crests may all look like mere adornments to us, but to a parrot, they’re clues about a potential mate’s overall fitness, genetic superiority, and superior traits for survival. Just like with humans, in the parrot world, “sexy” takes many forms.

For males in the animal kingdom, the main goal is to pass on their genes to the next generation. But it takes two to tango, and males will go to extremes to win a mate. They will make music, change body colors, develop astonishing anatomy, even agree to be eaten alive… all in the name of love! From dancing spiders to drumming monkeys, discover what males will do to show they have what it takes! Buy the DVD. This film premiered April 12, 2008. What Females Want

The praying mantis, black widow spider, and jumping spider are among a number of species that devour their mates. Sexual cannibalism is also found in other invertebrates, including a relative of the praying mantis, the Chinese mantis, and scorpions. Cannibalism has also been noted among South American green anacondas — the largest snakes in the world.

Female black widows are perhaps the most notorious “mate munchers.” Males have to place themselves between the female’s fangs to get in the right position for mating, and are sometimes devoured upon completing their assignment. Clearly this eight-legged femme fatale has earned the name “black widow.”

Female jumping spiders can also be dangerous lovers. To attract a mate, male jumping spiders do a complicated courtship dance, and if their performance is flawed, they are not just rejected — they are also liable to end up as dinner.

A female praying mantis devours her mate.

Despite the “bad ends” at which males find themselves, it doesn’t seem to deter them from trying to reproduce. To the contrary, the continuation of the species is proof positive that death by sex is a successful evolutionary strategy. By surrendering themselves to their mates, males achieve the goal of mating — passing on their genes.

Male redback spiders, for example, are equipped to pass on their genes even in the throes of death because they have two sexual organs that allow them to survive cannibalism long enough to mate twice.

For bachelor biting midges, cannibalism also makes evolutionary sense. The National Wildlife Federation reported that during mating a male’s genitals break off, while he is still clasped onto the female midge. While the bachelor may not live after sex, he blocks future matings and knows his sperm will make it.

But a closer look at sexual cannibalism reveals that not all animals will succumb to feisty females, and some go to great lengths not to be eaten. Male golden orb spiders endeavor to avoid becoming dinner by attempting to mate with females as they are eating something else. But, they still may end up as dessert.

Fear not guys — it’s not do or die for all males in the animal kingdom. Some animals just have to practice their push-ups.

Geladas, close cousins of baboons, will show off their passion-flushed pectorals, and lizards will do push-ups for their chance to “score.”

But sometimes finding a mate is not as simple as getting in tip-top shape. When it comes to mating, critters go to great lengths in order to attract and keep their partners.

In fact, there are almost as many ways to find a mate and reproduce as there are numbers of species, including chimps that cook up tasty jungle feasts of papaya for their chimp ladies and squid which mate ALL day long.

Even snails engage in the mating game, and they are hermaphrodites, which means they possess male and female reproductive organs. When it’s time to mate, snails activate a “love dart,” and shoot sperm at each other, which is full of mucus and hormones.

Now, it’s your turn to play a hand in the mating game: Try decoding the language of animal love and figuring out which species goes with which mating ritual.

Pick-up Tricks Quiz: Guess Who?

1. It takes two to tango: These inhabitants of the sea are best known for their “mating dance.” Couples swim together and hold tails — matching each other’s movements. The male curls his tail around her torso, and they tango. She, in a twist-and-turn maneuver, manages to transfer the eggs to his pouch, by the way, where they are fertilized and carried to term.

2. Breakfast in bed: Even jungle critters have wooing tricks to get their lady friends “in the mood.” When a male is ready to mate, he will capture an insect in his web and wrap it in silk. When he spots a female he wishes to mate with, he offers her this feast. While the female is distracted by her five-star meal, the male will mount her and begin mating.

3. Kiss-kiss-kiss: The only species besides humans to kiss. Before actually mating, male and female birds will lock beaks and gently flick their tongues together. The males will then regurgitate the food for their mates as a sign of affection. Different strokes for different flocks.

4. Not Scents-ible: These macho mammals attract mates by marking territory, beginning with urinating and defecating at the same time. Then, they do a propeller-like twist to spread the mess in every direction. Once the “romantic act” attracts a lover, the pair begin foreplay and splash around in the water to get in the mood before they get down to business.

5. The Rhapsody Of The Everyday: This male attracts a mate with its tail feathers. Once noticed, he will treat his intended to a repertoire of sounds that would make a symphony orchestra pale by comparison. These expert mimics reproduce a huge range of sounds from their environment. In this day in age, that includes not only the sound of nature, but technology and urban noises, such as mobile phones, pulsing car alarms and even clicking cameras.

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