Adelie penguin uses pebbles and other small rocks to make their nests. During courtship, the male will present the female with a pebble as a gift. If the female accepts the generous gift, they bond and mate for life. These pebbles hold considerable value and they are also symbols of affection toward a mate.
Although this act has been observed as a romantic gesture between Gentoo penguins for years, a study revealed that females do not rely on the ‘perfect’ pebble when choosing a mate . They don’t even necessarily depend on pebble presentation at all when selecting a mate. Still, males have a much better chance at mating if they do gift a pebble.
Courtship has been observed in penguins, but typically pebble presentation is not a significant part of it: “Once a female chooses her mate, the pair will go through an important courtship ritual, in which the penguins bow, preen and call to each other.
Why do gentoo penguins like pebbles?
Female Gentoo penguins make their nests out of stones to keep their eggs above the surface in case of flooding. So, the male must find the perfect pebble to show that he is ready to start a family, whether he steals it, fights over it, or finds it himself.
While pebbles do get a mention in that exhibit, it does not describe the stones’ supposed perfection as having much to do with the process of wooing a mate: [Adélie penguins] build nests of small stones that they use to line depressions in the ground.
Why do Penguins steal stones from other penguins?
If the male cannot find the perfect rock on his own, he may steal a pebble from a neighbor’s nest, which can cause some ruffled feathers between other males of its kind. Female Gentoo penguins make their nests out of stones to keep their eggs above the surface in case of flooding.
Do penguins mate for life with rocks?
A social media factoid about penguin courtship and the “perfect pebble” does not quite reflect the birds’ actual mating habits. A male penguin searches an entire beach for the “perfect pebble” to lay at the feet of his chosen female penguin. Male penguins of many species gift their mates with rocks.