It does seem that when some birds pair up they become quite strongly bonded.

As much as I try and avoid being anthropomorphic, it is hard to deny when you see a pair cuddling together. The perfect example is the one above of the lovely pair of Little Corellas (Cacatua sanguinea) cuddling close at the University of Queensland Lakes in Brisbane.

And then we have the Powerful Owls (Ninox strenua) parents snuggled up close while keeping an eye on their newly fledged chick (also seen in an earlier post).

But wait, there's more! How about these Galahs (Eolophus roseicapilla) at the Archerfield Wetlands in south-western Brisbane?

Then there is also this Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) pair resident at the Uni of Qld Great Court. Hopefully, they will nest soon. I will go and check on them tomorrow.

I do find it interesting that all four of the species I have seen doing this have all been somewhat larger birds. Then again that could be down to my less-than-ideal observation skills. No matter whether it's true romance or just basic biology, there is no denying that it is heart-warming when you come across such devotion and bonding in the wild. Even better when I get the chance to photograph them. Hopefully, I come across more species exhibiting the same behaviour.

Update 7 October 2022

In trying to photograph a male Superb Fairywren who dived into a bush, I did finally come across a pair of snuggled small birds in the form of these two Red-browed Finches (Neochmia temporalis) at Archerfield Wetlands. While manoeuvring the camera around to get a shot of the fairywren without branches or leaves obscuring, I noticed these two little birds sitting quietly snuggled up deep in the bush. I basically had to push the camera through the leaves to get a shot. Even then I only took one or two frames as they were clearly nervous and I did not want to spook them.

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