![]() ![]() A flock of birds might drive a powerful animal away from food. Scavenging birds such as gulls frequently use this technique to steal food from humans nearby. One bird might distract while others quickly steal food. Mobbing can also be used to obtain food, by driving larger birds and mammals away from a food source, or by harassing a bird with food. Behavior includes flying about the intruder, dive bombing, loud squawking and defecating on the predator. In North America, the birds that most frequently engage in mobbing include mockingbirds, crows and jays, chickadees, terns, and blackbirds. In birds A cattle tyrant ( Machetornis rixosa) (right) mobbing a hawkīirds that breed in colonies such as gulls are widely seen to attack intruders, including encroaching humans. In his view, humans are subject to similar innate impulses but capable of bringing them under rational control (see mobbing). Konrad Lorenz, in his book On Aggression (1966), attributed mobbing among birds and animals to instincts rooted in the Darwinian struggle to survive. Mobbing calls may be used to summon nearby individuals to cooperate in the attack. This behavior may complement cryptic adaptations in the offspring themselves, such as camouflage and hiding. While mobbing has evolved independently in many species, it only tends to be present in those whose young are frequently preyed upon. ![]() This is most frequently seen in birds, though it is also known to occur in many other animals such as the meerkat and some bovines. A simple definition of mobbing is an assemblage of individuals around a potentially dangerous predator. Mobbing in animals is an antipredator adaptation in which individuals of prey species cooperatively attack or harass a predator, usually to protect their offspring. American crows ( Corvus brachyrhynchos) mobbing a red-tailed hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis). For mobbing in relation to human bullying behavior, see Mobbing. ![]()
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