Romance Through Regurgitation
White-fronted parrots show affection by vomiting into each other's mouths — and the male vomits into the female's mouth before and during mating.
If you thought human courtship was awkward, consider the white-fronted parrot. Males woo females by vomiting into their mouths — and females apparently love it.
The behavior, called allofeeding, works like this: 1. Male approaches female and bobs his head 2. He regurgitates food from his crop (a food storage organ) 3. She accepts it, mouth-to-mouth 4. This continues during courtship and mating 5. Even established pairs do it year-round
Why would this evolve? It's actually an honest signal of male quality: - Only well-fed males have food to spare - It proves he can provide for offspring - The nutrients directly benefit the female
This "courtship feeding" is common across parrot species and many other birds. Parents also feed chicks this way, so it likely evolved from parental care into a pair-bonding behavior.
White-fronted parrots take it further than most. The male actively regurgitates during copulation — possibly to keep the female distracted and cooperative, or as continued investment in the partnership.
The behavior has been observed in both wild and captive birds. It's clearly not disgusting to parrots — females actively solicit food gifts and prefer males who provide more.
For humans, it's a reminder that "romantic" behaviors are culturally determined. What's appealing in one species can be revolting in another.