Sounds and Vocal Behavior

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is mainly vocal on the remote breeding grounds, and its vocal behavior remains little documented, despite extensive recordings by Russian scientists. Additional vocalizations have also been recorded and analyzed during the conservation breeding programme at Slimbridge, and were applied in the head-starting project on the breeding grounds. An expedition in 2011 that included Cornell staff documented a nesting pair with video and sound recordings. To date, these remain the main source to fall back on for any information about vocabulary, and the overview below relied heavily on this documentation.

Vocal Development

Little information. Recently hatched young utter a single high pitched peep or a faint tseep. Once they fledge, they utter a similar high-pitched overslurred tseeuw (note duration 0.25‒0.35 s with maximum frequency around 5.5 kHz).

Vocal Array

Territorial call. A series of drawn-out insect-like shrill buzzes zhree-zhree-zhree... that also may be slightly disyllabic zhi-rree..zhi-rree..zhi-rree.... Buzzy note has a duration of 0.45‒0.55 s with most acoustic energy between 1.5 kHz and 3.5 kHz. Such calling may go on for long periods with only short pauses between long series of buzzy notes. Territorial call may also be a shorter but more complex series with variable pitch, pace and note duration, and including a low-pitched long rattle.

Contact call. A short stuttered series of buzzy notes that increases in amplitude with notes gradually getting longer in duration. In its simplest form it includes some 5‒8 notes dz-dz-dze-dze-dze-dZEE. With increased excitement, it may however include many more notes, in which case it is somewhat reminiscent of Territorial call (but buzzy notes clearly shorter).

Churring call. Single or doubled churred notes, uttered in irregular series: chrr...chrr-uhr...krr etc. Such vocalizations may lead to or may be combined with Contact call.

Alarm call. A short rising mellow whistle that is typically uttered in series of 2‒4 notes and repeated a few times. Note duration 0.12‒0.24 s and fundamental frequency rising from about 1.4 kHz to 2.0 kHz with three first harmonics loudest.

Rolling call. A continuous faint rolling buzzy rattle.

Other. During nonbreeding, the species has been reported to give a shrill, hoarse, ascending call whoeatt...whoeatt (presumably similar or identical to Alarm call). In flight it may give a short puree, preep or shrill wheet.

Geographic Variation

There is no apparent geographic variation in voice.

Phenology

From the moment birds arrive on the breeding grounds (late May to early June), males are very vocal uttering their Territorial call. After pair formation, Contact call between both is commonly heard. Following pair formation, display activity diminishes and is increasingly performed on the ground, often from elevated tussocks or stones. Display calls, however, may still be heard throughout the entire breeding period. Contact calls between pair members are common but vary in frequency between pairs. Some pairs may remain almost silent, making them difficult to detect. This is also the time that Rolling call can be heard, during copulation and when establishing nest site. Once incubation starts, birds are much more silent (mid June–July). When young have fledged, Contact and Alarm call can be heard.

Daily Pattern of Vocalizing

Vocal activity is mainly determined by the daily activities (display, territorial defense, caring offspring, feeding), without a particular preference for the crepuscular hours.

Places of Vocalizing

Territorial call is uttered from the ground, where male stands upright, sometimes on a slightly elevated perch. Territorial call is also frequently given during long aerial display flights. During such flights above the territory, birds hover in the breeze, alternately gliding and flapping wings while constantly uttering the drawn-out buzzy notes of the Territorial call. When chasing female, a more complex shorter variant of the Territorial call is used. Other vocalizations are typically uttered from the ground. These flights are typically limited to the first week after territory establishment, when display activity is most intense.

Sex Differences

Territorial call is apparently only given by the male bird. Other vocalizations are uttered by both sexes.

Social Context and Presumed Functions of Vocalizations

When arriving on the breeding grounds, male starts uttering its Territorial call, performs display flights over favored areas to attract a female and to establish territory. Once a pair is formed, both members keep close together, and Contact call is uttered whenever the mate is out of sight. During copulation, male first stands very erect, lifts wings, utters Rolling call and mounts the female. Equally so, when male scrapes a shallow depression for a potential nest place, he attracts the female with the Rolling call, answered by the female with Contact call. Once juveniles have fledged, Churring call is used in communication with the offspring, and is used to call pulli back to the nest the first days after fledging. Alarm call is used to alert the chicks whenever some danger is detected. Outside the breeding season, birds are rather silent, uttering only short call notes which are not well documented.

None documented.