Why do birds flock

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Some birds form colonies or communal flocks on nesting grounds called rookeries. While parents look after individual nests, they often place them close to each other.

Concentrating the nests in one area makes it easier for the adults to look after vulnerable chicks, as they can take advantage of flock benefits against predators. Flamingos are an example of an obligate colonial species that have to breed in flocks.

Birds like the common scoter can flock together to stay warm. Small birds will share the same tiny roost space and even flocking together in a single tree helps birds share body heat. Birds gather in murmurations for a variety of reasons. Grouping together offers safety in numbers as predators like peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in amongst a hypnotising flock of thousands.

Starlings also gather to keep warm at night and exchange information about good feeding areas. They often perform their aerial acrobatics over their roosting site as they gather together for the night. The best time to see starling murmurations is in December and January just before dusk, in wide-open skies as they gather for their evening roosts. Many of our starlings are migrants from colder parts of Northern Europe and as they start to arrive in early Autumn, you can see murmurations as early as September.

But as the weeks go on and their numbers grow you can see up to , in some places later in the season. One of the largest starling roosts in the country is at Ham Wall in Somerset but you can also catch exciting murmurations at dusk at our wetland sites. While flocking can keep birds safe from predators, it does make them extremely susceptible to hunting and diseases.

Flocking at specific sites can make birds particularly susceptible to habitat loss. If one staging site along a key flyway is drained and disappears or becomes polluted it can have a dramatic effect on large numbers of migrating birds who rely on it. That's why it's more important than ever we protect wetlands along their migration routes to ensure they can return after winter to breed safely. Our visitor centres are currently closed, but our work has to continue, to maintain our wildlife reserves through the winter months despite the lockdown.

WWT has updated their privacy and cookies policy We use cookies on this site to improve your user experience. Staying in a flock presents a predator with more possible targets too, which lowers the danger for any single bird. Birds do not engage in any behaviour that does not bring them a benefit for survival in some way.

For example birds, such as pink-footed geese often form flocks to forage, which allows them to take advantage of the same food supplies. Feeding in a group also gives more birds the opportunity to find a food source that one bird has already located.

But, at the same time, groups of birds can take advantage of the benefits of being part of a close-knit group to protect themselves and their vulnerable chicks against predators.

Birds that do not nest colonially may also still form flocks, and juvenile birds from a first brood will sometimes contribute to raising their late-season siblings. Such formations, which can take the form of a 'V' shape, often take advantage of changing wind patterns based on the number of birds in the flock and how each bird's wings create different currents.

This allows them to use the surrounding air in the most energy-efficient way, just like the aerodynamic shape of an aeroplane is designed to do. Such formations can also increase the distance birds can fly without rest, which is particularly crucial during long migrations.

In winter, flocks can share the benefit of communal warmth to survive cold temperatures, such as the common scoter. Many small birds will share the same tiny roost space to keep warm, often in bird boxes, hollow trees or other similar spaces. Martin Harper Blog. How nature can help protect our homes Following the floods this winter, watch how one area is using nature as a natural protector. Most popular bird guides this month Which bird song is that?

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Marshside This fantastic wetland site is located north of Southport town centre and has some of the best wildlife in the region. Lytchett Fields The reserve has seen more than thirty species of wading birds. Arne Heathland home to more than species.