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fetale, with a special, post we and oaU (fip» 1). la this context the follow- 
*AJ features oT the posture are h^ertast s the pointing dam of the beak, 
the opening of the south and the lifting of the tongue. Further there is a 
rhytteio w)-<^1.-do®o Jerking of the neok. a very similar posture has been 
found in all the other gull spools® studied so far and had been mad ‘choking* . 
•fte airoliag females are- attracted by this display and try to land beside tfce 
.sales* Kopsatodly I saw bow one fmah after the other visitod a choking sale, 
but aam at them paM any attention to a nan"dJ*playi^ tei^hboor* If tl» 
inactive bird started to. display then his efforts ears soon r e wa r ded as sell. 
As this display with its osll has a stellar function to the sang of mam 
passerines, 1 will oaU it the kittlwate's "song’. A iaale suet be able to 
recognise a female's intention to land on Ms nest a© his posture ohanges 
several seconds before she alight©, lie stretches his head towards the oncoming 
bird, opens the south oven adder than before, flattens the tom 500 and gives 
a series of loud "Mttiwatee** calls. The female utters the &mm oaU while 
broaching. After si® has alighted beside hist the uiatual hdtttmke calling 
esse on for a few oeoands. . The sale at the eeroo tlsae ashes great efforts to 
faoe the fmeSe sail to shout into her face, afee on tb© other hand turns ter 
head away trm Mm. This often leads to a curious bowing arid crossing of the 
v „ v „ weak*. As the exolteswttt dies doeii the female starts oteking with am or 
t ri ,u : 2 *®* dour*s®rd|l with open sswtffcg t ten ate bums tii© beak up las' tbs air, 
alosiii; : it, at fete seas tirae, but still Jerking until it is aluost in a vortical 
position (Pi#®® 2 ). After a few Komenta linking up the teak saves back into 
its resting position. The male gees on kittimSdng a bit longer than the 
foualo but soot after ter he also performs the soraa ahoktng, display. This 
oeretixmy of klttisskiBg, ateking down wad oboklng up 1 ref or to as tte w greeting 1 
By the tim Um m 1 @ finishies choking ths fessCLs is already in a new posture, 
the Brest, in which she still keeps her teed turned sway from hte. Ms - 
not ©sour* this posture. He Just peers at ter for a aoatnatb or two, as if 
he had to taka up Ida mind, then suddenly he deliver* a vicious peek at bar. 
At this ate usually flies assay hwe&iately. But if she stays he raay peak ter 
ogalni if she still- doesn't go, he grabs her mole and holds it whic£ va ths 
do aired affect. He may ©ten hang on for a for seconds as ate draqa hiaa into 
tte air. in assay oases she is peaked away in the twiddle of the greeting. 3© 
* A ' even, attack her before she has proparly leaded. There are considerable 
dii’feraaoes between the unties t sett* peak ©very resale as soon as ate lends, 
otters paolc only hesitantly after a few sdautes, ootae j>eok new at all. The 
famloB sImkv” an equal j*ny@ of diffexsatwest sob* itaxdly pot a foot on a nest 
otters endure the tact vioious peeking, 3 se ftrandss visit different 2 'tales 
sod t? t© iaales receive different feaialea. proa very early on it is apparent 
that the fes rales have preferenoes for particular groins of mate close together. 
®«y will visit tte® agedn and again, oftwas two or d^ree males oxs^y tin® 
ate* nest in turn and ths fomols who has a ptefereno© for ths place will visit 
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the sat!* nest irre&imattm of tla® identity of the oooup&tt. After a fea nl© 
tea eixto a few visits to the sarae male he will gradually get used to ter and 
tolerate Iter for Icm-jsr until eventually he doesn't peck ter any nnre. At 
this Qt&p both v/ill stay -together on the nest for long axtUa, sooetiiiwe for 
hours, ml tl ere is qpite a good chance ox' tlieaa pairing for tic season. In 
many oases, tesaavir, such a relation <^ets brotea up again but we will oou» to 
this later. 
