Abstract

Species with cryptic plumages and behaviour face a dilemma: how do they attract attention when they want to? The ‘roding’ behaviour of male Eurasian Woodcocks Scolopax rusticola is well documented, as is the highly reflective white undersides of the tail tips. However, the behaviour of females in response to roding males, and the way the two sexes communicate, remains poorly understood. In this paper, we show that females on the ground attract the attention of roding males by making a soft call and flicking the white tail-feather tips upwards.