Red-tail "Mobbed" by Crows Photo from Flicker
The other day, while looking out my window up to the sky, I saw something that I had seen before, but never really gave it any thought. This is not, by the way, an unusual experience for me. It takes my brain a while to catch up with the visions.
There wasn't any way for me to take a picture, so I selected the above photo from flicker to represent what I actually saw. If you look at the photo and keep the large bird as is, and then change the crows to smaller birds, but many more of them, you will see what I saw.
A hawk being "mobbed" by a flock of smaller, weaker birds. "Mobbing" in the bird world is a very normal proactive activity. That hawk would like to grab up in its talons one of the smaller birds. Or, swoop down on a nest to eat their hatchlings. Obviously the smaller birds would like to "take down" the hawk before damage is done. And the "mobbing" works.
The smaller birds have learned, through Darwin's Theory of Evolution, that in large numbers, they outweigh the hawk. And, as if in a choreographed number, they swoop, and sway, up and down, sideways and every which ways, opening gaps and closing gaps, much to the hawk's chagrin. This makes it virtually impossible for the hawk to latch on to one of them. The hawk, in his evolution, realizes that should he go ahead and make a lunge at one of them, more would come and speak to him in quite a huffy manner. Knowlng this, the hawk keeps his dignity and just keeps on going...slowly with out a care.
This flock or "village" of birds has banded together to help keep each other safe. Working together for a common cause against an enemy. They would not approach the hawk if he wasn't a threat.
Hmmm. Maybe that's where the phrase "Hawks and Doves" came from. The doves wanting to keep the peace. The Hawk wanting to bomb their nest into smithereens.
From another perspective the hawk needs to feed itself and its hatchlings. It's bigger, stronger beaked, larger wing spanned, mightier taloned. And then, out of nowhere come these whipper-snappers to make his food search more difficult.
Okay, and now my brain is about to explode! Because the hawk turns into an eagle. And the many small birds, with no defense, have targeted the eagle. Flying towards it in grand bravado, getting a peck here or there. The eagle squawks. The flock increases in size until the eagle is surrounded and lost in their midst. Ultimately, when the flock disbands, the eagle is no where to be seen. Despite being individually smaller and unarmed they have defeated the eagle.
Peck by peck.
