From Birds and Blooms · Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman · · 2m
How Birds Fight Back Against Predators
Fake broken wings, rattlesnake impressions, and projectile vomit: the surprising arsenal small birds use to stay alive.
In brief
Fake broken wings, rattlesnake impressions, and projectile vomit: the surprising arsenal small birds use to stay alive. A small bird is rarely defenseless. Camouflage is just the start, and the loudest, weirdest tactics are often the ones that work. Originally reported by Birds and Blooms.
Small bird, big world
A sparrow looks like easy prey, but birds carry a deep bag of defensive tricks. Camouflage is only the opening move.
“A small bird out in the big world might seem vulnerable or even defenseless against predators of birds.”
Blending into the grass
Streaky brown plumage lets a sparrow disappear into dry grass. Color and pattern do the work before any behavior has to.
Alarm calls cross species
When a hawk or fox moves through the woods, birds sound off with special alarm calls. Other species recognize those calls and go on alert immediately.
Safety in mixed flocks
Outside breeding season, birds travel in flocks that mix several species. More eyes spot danger sooner, and one alarm call spreads through the whole group.
The broken wing act
Step near a killdeer's ground nest and a parent flutters off crying, dragging a wing as if it snapped. Once you have followed far enough, it recovers and flies.
Other fakers on the ground
Common nighthawks and piping plovers pull the same stunt. A mourning dove flushed from a low branch may drop down and limp away too.
Sounding like a snake
Baby burrowing owls buzz like a rattlesnake inside their burrow. Chickadees hiss from nest cavities, and nestling woodpeckers chatter like angry bees.
Attack the intruder
Robins and mockingbirds dive at anything near the nest, pecking human heads. Red-winged blackbirds and kingbirds chase hawks and eagles, sometimes riding their backs.
Mobbing blows the cover
Songbirds swarm a perched hawk or owl with scolding calls, and bold ones peck at its head. Even if it stays, it has lost surprise. The neighborhood knows exactly where it is.
“the predator has lost the element of surprise, because the whole neighborhood knows its exact location”
Poison in the feathers
The hooded pitohui of New Guinea carries toxins in its plumage, like those in poison dart frog skin. Several other tropical birds do the same.
“Any predator that grabs such a bird will quickly regret it.”
Vomit as a weapon
Baby herons and egrets poop on predators below and vomit on ones that climb close. Turkey vultures bring up carrion, and fulmars spray rancid stomach oil ten feet.
The essence
A small bird is rarely defenseless. Camouflage is just the start, and the loudest, weirdest tactics are often the ones that work.
