Seedsnipes: Thinocoridae

During the nonbreeding season, seed-snipes may be found in flocks of as many as eighty individuals. During the breeding season, however, seedsnipes are usually found in pairs or in smaller groups of five or six. Seedsnipes spend a large part of their day walking slowly, looking for food. When they sense a threat, their first response is usually to turn their backs, which are colored to blend into the environment. Only if the intruder approaches will they walk away or fly away in a zigzag pattern, making loud calls.

Seedsnipes are territorial during the breeding season, with pairs defending areas from other pairs. The female typically lays three or four eggs at a time. The seedsnipe nest is usually a depression in the ground lined with bits of plant material. When neither parent is at the nest, the eggs are covered with soil or nest lining to help hide them and keep them warm. Eggs hatch after about twenty-six days in the least seedsnipe, the only species for which there is information. The chicks are able to leave the nest soon after hatching and quickly become able to feed themselves. However, both parents continue to help protect the young, often pretending to be injured to draw away potential predators and other intruders. Seed-snipes become sexually mature quickly, and are able to reproduce the same season they hatch.