Lessons From Mixed Flocks

BirdNote^®
Lessons From Mixed Flocks
Written by Deja Perkins

This is BirdNote. 

Have you ever heard the phrase “there’s safety in numbers” or that “it takes a village to raise a child”?

These are sayings about the power of community. Community can be described by geography, shared values, and common goals. For people, community offers physical, mental, and emotional support. For birds, community is embodied through mixed flocks.

[White-throated, Lincoln, and Chipping Sparrows, ML136579]

For example, many sparrows spend the winter in mixed flocks with other species for protection and feeding efficiency. During spring and fall migration, warblers, shorebirds, blackbirds, and swallows often travel in mixed flocks.

[Red-cockaded Woodpecker sounds, ML74002 ~1:06]

Some birds, like the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, participate in cooperative breeding. They form family flocks of mixed ages where first-year birds help their parents raise the younger generations – instead of having their own.

We can see the power of community through the actions of birds every day. And it’s time we took a note from their book.

So the next time you see a group of birds of all shapes and sizes flocking together, ask yourself, who’s in your community?

This week is Black Birders Week. To learn how to participate, follow the hashtag Black Birders Week on social media and visit BirdNote dot org. I’m Deja Perkins.

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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Red-cockaded Woodpecker ML74002 recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller. White-throated Sparrow ML136579 recorded by Sean O'Brien.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2025 BirdNote May 2025
Narrator: Deja Perkins

ID#  flock-04-2025-05-27     flock-04