Mobs reveal a dark and terrifying side of human nature, whether it be the chaotic urban masses crying for the guillotine during the French Revolution, or a shadowy crime syndicate ruled by a guy named Joe Bananos. Many birds practice a different sort of mobbing, wherein there is rarely an injury and the little guy prevails.
When a predator such as an owl, a hawk or even a large snake ventures into a location, they may be detected by a resident bird. That sentinel will make a noisy, dissonant fuss to recruit reinforcements who will join in harassing that hawk or owl. Just who participates is a matter of size matching and a species’ predilection. Tiny predators such as a screech owl or a merlin will be plagued by tiny birds, with chickadees often leading the charge.
When you hear crows or magpies stirring up a ruckus, chances are that a large hawk such as the red-tail, or perhaps a great horned owl, is at the center of the melee. As the harassment escalates, the hawk will typically take wing in a disgruntled huff, trailed by its fussing mob. By remaining perfectly still, an owl can sometimes become seemingly invisible, its smaller marauders gradually losing interest and dispersing.
Why a predator doesn’t lose its temper and turn on its unwelcome mob I don’t know, but I have not seen it happen.
And the purpose of mobbing? Perhaps in loudly announcing a predator’s presence, the hunter’s advantage for stealth and surprise is lost. Or maybe the mob is just telling the hawk or owl to: “Push off and leave our neighborhood!”
By imitating an owl’s call or by producing the right dissonant “pishing” noise, like this “pishpishpish”, I can sometimes lure a small mob briefly into view, one often led by a valiant chickadee. Soon recognizing my deceit, after a few minutes, the group will quickly disperse, leaving me to smile at just what a frisky mob that was!
Credits:
Photo: Courtesy Daily Mail CO.UK and Copyright Andrew O'Conner ABC, Photographer
Theme: Courtesy & Copyright Don Anderson as performed by Leaping Lulu https://www.leapinglulu.com/
Text: Jim Cane, Bridgerland Audubon Society
Voice: Richard (Dick) Hurren, Bridgerland Audubon Society
Additional Reading:
What’s going on when I see little birds going after a big bird?, All About Birds, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/sometimes-i-see-little-birds-going-after-a-big-bird-why-do-they-do-this/
Mobbing: When Smaller Birds Join Forces to Fend Off Larger Birds, by BirdNote, a partner of the National Audubon Society, https://www.audubon.org/news/mobbing-when-smaller-birds-join-forces-fend-larger-birds
[Mountain Chickadees] "are also well-known for recruiting huge multi-species assemblies when mobbing a raptor such as a Sharp-shinned Hawk or Northern Pygmy-Owl, and their agitated calls may be a good clue to humans that such a predator is nearby."
Mountain Chickadee, Poecile gambeli, American Bird Conservancy, https://abcbirds.org/birds/mountain-chickadee/
