Sunday, August 06, 2006

Flock of Starlings

This video has been making the rounds of the birding blogs, and my girlfriend sent me a link to it a few days ago. It shows a flock of starlings repeatedly trying to land in a tree and then taking off when the tree would not support them. The behavior shown here is not unusual, even if the particular situation is. Starlings are one of many species of birds that travels and forages in flocks. Among other things, flocking together helps birds to protect themselves against predators. More birds can watch for a potential threat, and a great mass of flying birds may confuse a raptor. Flocking also makes it easier for less experienced birds to find food.



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