Re: Foot tapping feeding behaviour in waders

[James Davis <>]

Andrew:  
  For the record I observed Masked Lapwings rapidly shaking one of their 
feet (left and right) in short grass.  After the performance they often
would grab an item (presumably prey).  I have only witnessed this
behaviour on one occasion - two adults and two juvenile foraging together
in a group. I am intersted in learning if foot-shaking is instinctive
or learned - given that related birds perform similar, if not identical
behaviours, I currently believe the action has a strong innate component.
However, I would not rule out the possibility that birds can learn to
modify foot-shaking to fit particular circumstances such as tapping vs.
shaking.

Cheers, Jim 

 Dr. Wm. James Davis
e-mail