Spoon-billed Sandpiper: Courtship

Within days of arriving on the breeding grounds, Spoon-billed Sandpiper courtship begins. Males perform display flights over favored areas to attract females and establish territories and females select a mate. Once together, a pair becomes inseparable. They forage within earshot of each other, copulate frequently, and prospect for potential locations to nest. This video, shot during the first few days of a pair's seasonal courtship, captures some of these rarely witnessed behaviors including an attempted copulation and a nest scrape display. Video includes commentary by The Cornell Lab's Gerrit Vyn. Filmed June 6, 2011 near Meinypilgyno, Chukotka, Russia.