Column: Territorial birds sometimes form a flock, letting other species join the group

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 24, 2024

Flocking confers two advantages. A flock of birds has lots of eyes to detect predators. Vigilance against predators increases as flock size increases. Flocking also increases food acquisition. Yet another social behavior, mate selection, occurs in these flocks. There are usually an equal number of male and female juvenile chickadees in each flock. Over the course of the winter, the young birds form pair-bonds. In late spring, the flocks break up and the resident male will contract the territory to a smaller territory. ~ Herb Wilson