singing ground

plural singing grounds

1. A place where certain species of male birds, especially the woodcock and capercaillie, congregate to sing and display themselves, in order to attract a female.

   Females can visit multiple singing grounds and males over the spring, decide who has the best display, and choose that male. Males can't choose; they can only be chosen.

   2019, Greg Hoch, Sky Dance of the Woodcock

   1 more example

   There was one instance of a male observed copulating with a decoy while a live female was on the singing ground 8 feet away . It could not be proved the other bird was a female but the observer was within a few feet and the size and actions of this bird were typical of other females seen on singing grounds.

   1952, John Warren Aldrich, U.S. Fish, Wildlife Service, Investigations of Woodcock, Snipe and Rails in 1951