Why do Sandpipers show off their catch?

Question

I noticed a couple of Sandpipers today who, after extracting a larger-than-normal morsel from the sand under the receding waves, "strutted their stuff" and dropped the morsel they had discovered for all surrounding Sandpipers to see, and then immediately snatched it up again.

The dropping of the catch did not seem an act of clumsiness, but a very deliberate "Look what I got!"

My impression was that they were proud of themselves and showing their flockmates what good hunter-gatherers they are.

Am I right? Is this a way for a male to show off what a good provider he would be? Or is it just the equivalent of a baboon beating his breast or a football player spiking the ball after scoring a touchdown, or is there some other reason for this behavior?

Answer 1

Where did you observe the Sandpipers? I ask because the Spotted Sandpiper, the most common in North America expresses unique behavior. The females do the domination and not the males. They use dancing and plumage for their mating rituals. If in Europe or elsewhere, it might be the Common Sandpiper, but those are also sometimes spotted here during migration.

Your question is from January. If you made these observations around that time, it was most likely very early for that to be a mating ritual.

The food display may not have been a display at all, but as has been suggested in the comments above, might have just been an effort to re-position and properly take in the food.

Cornell University, the definitive resource for birds in North America has the following information:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/spotted_sandpiper/lifehistory