Functions of display flights by males of the least sandpiper, Calidris minutilla (Vieill.), on Sable Island, Nova Scotia

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Abstract
Display flights (DF) in the least sandpiper, C. minutilla (Vieill.), are described and their relations to ecological and social variables assessed. DF activity is highest in early spring and in the morning, and is low in strong winds and poor visibility (fog) [in Nova Scotia, Canada]. DF are given only by males and generally cease upon pairing. Unpaired males maintain exclusive DF areas from which they chase other unpaired males. Each male''s DF area includes his eventual nest site, but only includes foraging and brood-rearing areas occasionally. Nesting areas are defended by males sometimes, but foraging sites and brood-rearing areas are not. The DF area of a paired male may be taken over by a later male who pairs and nests nearby, so nests may be quite close together. The primary function of DF in C. minutilla is not to space out nests to reduce predation. The ultimate function of DF is probably mate attraction, and thus sexual selection has been an important force in their evolution. This may be true of scolopacids and charadriids, which nest at high latitudes.