The male bird offers a small fish to its mate, and sometimes a pair of birds will swoop together in the sky as if to display their flying skill.
燕鷗求偶時，則是由雄鳥獻上好吃的小魚，有時兩隻鳥還會雙雙在空中盤旋、追逐，有如展現飛行技巧。英國動物學者大衛．艾登堡在「活生生的地球」書中指出，許多鳥類確實會將炫耀飛行技巧，當成求偶表演的一部分。