Serenade of a Whimbrel: Understanding the function of display behaviour in a sub-Arctic territorial wader

Animal sounds contain important information used in intra- and inter-species communication. For species exhibiting elaborate and energetically expensive signals such as aerial displays accompanied by a call, the nature of the message being transmitted is honest and usually reflects individual fitness. Display events that combine flight and calls and are executed during the breeding season have traditionally been associated with two main functions: repelling rivals and/or attracting mates. In waders, the distinction between the two could not only rely on the timing of the breeding season at which displays occur but also on the frequency at which displays occur in relation to local breeding density. Here, we investigated the function of display behaviour in the Icelandic Whimbrel throughout the breeding season and along a breeding density gradient. We used a site-based approach in the southern lowland plain in Iceland where Whimbrel breeding density and display frequency were recorded for..., , , # Data from: Serenade of a Whimbrel: Understanding the function of display behaviour in a sub-Arctic territorial wader

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n2z34tn4m](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n2z34tn4m)

## Description of the data and file structure

Data was collected at 6 study sites where Whimbrel counts and acoustic point counts were carried out.

Whimbrel counts: the number of adult Whimbrel were recorded every time a site was visited. Counts were performed along dirt tracks by driving slowly - always the same route- using binoculars, and carefully noting the location of the birds to avoid double counting. These counts were later used to calculate breeding density during the incubation period.

Acoustic point counts: we selected 3 to 5 fixed points within each site. On each point, the number of Whimbrel aerial displays were counted for three minutes. This data was used to obtain the frequency of displays per point.

### Files and variables

#### File: Data\_Serenade\_of\_a\_Whimbr...