The foraging behavior of Semipalmated Sandpipers in the upper Bay of Fundy: Stereotyped or prey-sensitive?

Videotapes of migrant Semipalmated Sandpipers foraging in the upper Bay of Fundy were analyzed to test for foraging behaviors sensitive to prey density. Over a range of prey densities, both the number of steps sec(-1) and probes sec(-1) increased with increasing prey density. However, the number of steps between probes was constant over the range of prey densities observed. The average angle of directional change during foraging and the number of turns min(-1) were constant despite large differences in prey patchiness.