Scolopax minor (American Woodcock) is well-known for its crepuscular foraging, nuptial sky dance, and concealment by both cryptic coloration and immobility. It occasionally engages in a highly conspicuous rocking motion that has been interpreted by some as a strategy for worm-hunting. However, the literature on this behavior, combined with current observations and theory, can instead more plausibly be interpreted as an advertisement of unprofitability.
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1 March 2016
Note on the Woodcock Rocking Display
Bernd Heinrich
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Northeastern Naturalist
Vol. 23 • No. 1
March 2016
Vol. 23 • No. 1
March 2016