The Structure of Aerial Displays in Three Species of Calidridinae (Scolopacidae)

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Abstract
Sandpipers in the subfamily Calidridinae (Scolopacidae) breed in the Arctic and Subarctic. In all species, unpaired males engage in distinctive aerial displays. Such displays are described for three species: Dunlin (Calidris alpina L.), Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla L.), and Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus Bonaparte). In each of the species, displays last several minutes, during which simple monotonous calls are emitted; more complex calls (including "song") also occur. C. himantopus has a unique flight mode, which is considered as apomorphous (derived) within the subfamily. C. alpina is apomorphous for the buzziness of the main vocalization emitted in aerial display and C. pusilla for loss of the same vocalization and elaboration of another. The ancestral/derived status and systematic value of these and other display components are discussed, with reference to information available for other calidridine species.