Ami Mating Season: Bel

Finding a lek is the first challenge for the observer. These arenas are located in specific "echo chambers"—fallen hollow logs or the crooks of strangler figs where sound acoustics are perfect. Up to twenty males may occupy a single lek, spaced exactly four meters apart.

By Dr. Elena Voss, Wildlife Ethologist

For ornithologists and wildlife enthusiasts, the term "Bel Ami" (French for "Beautiful Friend") evokes an image of iridescent plumage and complex social behavior. The Bel Ami, scientifically known as Nigrita bella (though colloquially referring to a specific genus of the estrildid finch family or, in some regional dialects, a strikingly colorful cichlid), is a creature of paradox: delicate in appearance but ferocious in competition. bel ami mating season

While the male believes he has secured his paternity, the female will mate with the dominant male of the lek early in the morning, and then slip away to the second -ranked male at dusk. Finding a lek is the first challenge for the observer