Birds of a feather….
Feral Pigeons - Newburgh Landing
Have you ever noticed that you rarely see a pigeon hanging out as a loner? Invariably, the individuals of this species will generally be found in a communal group known as a “flock”. (If you were in the business of breeding pigeons, you would more commonly call the group a “kit”).
Birds flock together for several reasons, primarily related to survival and social behavior. One key factor is safety in numbers. By flying in groups, birds reduce the risk of predation; a larger flock can make it more difficult for predators to single out an individual bird. Additionally, birds flock together for efficiency in foraging, social interaction, and navigation advantages, all contributing to their overall success as a species. Pigeons are not the only species which tend to be found in large groups.
Another species which is very social are the vultures - both Black and Turkey. These two species can often be found in the same area but they are usually segregated and rarely interact directly with the other species. They often hunt for food together with the Turkey vultures having a better sense of smell and the Blacks having better vision. The Turkey vultures thus find the food source by smell and the Black vultures can then visually hone in on their meal. Once they’ve found the carcass, the black vultures have first pickings while the Turkey vultures sit in the nearby trees waiting for their turn.
This roost of Black vultures was found taking a break from their meal sitting above a partially consumed deer carcass which had been deposited in a dumping ground along Route 9W.
One last group of birds which are almost always found in large groups is the Canada Goose. Groups of geese are referred to as “Gaggles”. In this shot taken earlier, we see a “party crasher”. A lone Snow goose has joined the gaggle of Canadas to take advantage of group living. Most often, Snow geese are found in their own large flocks, often numbering 500 or more. But if one gets separated from the group, it will search out any other large group of geese even if they are not of the same species. And they all seem to get along just fine!
