Bully Bird
Antagonistic behavior in wintering whimbrels is common. The birds consistently look for opportunities to steal meals from each other, and occasional skirmishes regarding feeding territories are commonplace. My current project looks at the frequency of those events across several variables.
One observation that was unexpected was the appearance of an individual who seemed intent on harassing specific members of the flock. I followed the harassing individual for two mornings and recorded several instances of this event. That experience gave me the confidence to state that this bird targeted two other individuals, sometimes fighting its way through the flock to reach its victims.
The targeted birds often ran or flew to the other side of the flock. However, there were two occasions in which the aggressor chased the targeted bird out over the ocean and far down the beach, where the targeted bird fed alone for an extended period.
The remaining members of this whimbrel flock didn’t appear to have any aggressive interactions with this individual, so it appears to be an issue between the two birds, or the aggressor is acting on behalf of the flock. That would lead to more questions:
- Is there such a thing as a dominant member in a whimbrel flock?
- Were the harassed birds interlopers trying to join an already established flock?
- What else could cause one individual to spend so much time and energy harassing another?
If anyone knows the answer or has alternative hypotheses, please share in the comments. I’m truly curious.
Wow Manuel,
The stories and pictures are fascinating!
Keep up the good work!