The Lekking Behaviour of Great Snipe

Abstract

The behavior of male great snipe, C. media, at a lek in southern Norway was studied in early June 1978. The males used a stereotyped display whose vocal and visual components enhance the conspicuousness of the displaying bird. Males face toward the lek center when displaying, suggesting that the display is directed at other males rather than females. Cloud cover reduces display rates in the middle of the night. Agonistic interactions are described. The course of these interactions gives tentative support to the suggestion that they are used for assessment of body condition.