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Index of Subjects Hi Burkhard, Many bird species have mobbing calls. You may have seen the Black-capped Chickadee doing this many times. Perhaps you thought it was curious about you but more likely, it was letting other birds know of your presence. One of the fascinating things about mobbing calls is that some species understand the unique mobbing calls of another species as a mobbing call and will join in multi-species harassment of a predator. Mobbing works, it is believed, not so much because the predator is frightened, but because it has been outed. It has lost the advantage of a surprise attack. In the past, birders would play recordings of mobbing calls to attract a wide variety of species, and with the hopes flushing out a rare bird. Birders have abandoned this practice since it causes unnecessary stress to the birds and distracts them from more important tasks such as feeding young or building up fat reserves for their migration. John -----Original Message----- From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca On Behalf Of Burkhard Plache Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 18:59 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca Subject: [NatureNS] Question: Starling Behaviour Hello fellow naturalists: We have a pair of starlings is raising its brood in a former hairy woodpecker cavity in our front yard. Today, there were some 10-12 starlings scattered in the nearby branches. A few minutes later, a big ruckus broke out, with a squirrel departing the tree at high speed pursued by some 5-6 of the starlings. My question is: Are starlings known to band together in times of trouble? If so, they must have some means of calling for help in case of a threat. Curious, Burkhard
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