At this time of year American Woodcock can be heard performing their flight displays before sunrise and after sunset in damp, open areas in wooded habitat.
Males peent for a while, then rise into the air and begin a continuous twittering, produced by the attenuated outermost three primaries. Approaching the peak of the flight the twittering becomes intermittent, and vocal chirping begins. As the bird descends it gives forth a continuous flow of chirps and twitters before silently falling to the ground at the end, often to the same spot where the display began.
This recording begins with a bird at the height of a display flight, and ends with a second, complete, flight display, with peents in between. At 77s a rattle can be heard, an aggressive call given by interacting males.
(5.50am, Feb, NJ)
continuous mechanical twittering during ascent
intermittent twittering and chirping at peak
continuous vocal chirping during descent
rattle (with American Robin call)
peent
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