A flock is defined as a group of birds that fly as a group while in search of food. The term is similar to the herd among mammals. The benefits of gathering in this type of training are varied and the herds will be explicitly formed for specific purposes. The socially subordinate birds are intimidated by the more dominant birds; birds may also sacrifice the efficiency of feeding in a flock for other benefits.
What is flock
Table of Contents
This is the name given to the group of birds that are kept together with any objective, such as to undertake the search for food or to carry out migrations. This concept of flock is the equivalent for the herd in some mammals, the school or shoal in fish, a colony in insects or other species of animals, among other terms that are used to refer to groups of animals. An example would be a flock of pigeons or a flock of ducks.
The expression "flock" is used mostly in Mexico, and for the other countries, the term is flock. There is even a Mexican group called T3R that makes mention of this terminology in its song "Carrillo Airline" in the line "Like a flock the planes looked at each other.
Another meaning of the word "flock" according to the dictionary, means a set of newborn chickens; in the same way, it can mean a certain number of chickens, a multitude, and the terms "pollada" and "pollazón" are even used synonymously. It is important to note that although "flock" can be used for birds and fish, it is not correct to say flock of fish.
These groupings of these species are studied by ethology, which is the branch of biology that is responsible for the study of the behavior of animals in their own environments and in captivity for observation in a laboratory, and how this behavior influences their possibilities survival and evolution of the species.
The etymology of the term "flock" comes from the Latin parvus, which means "small" and from the suffix -ada, which refers to a set. However, the word "parva" is defined in the dictionary as a large quantity of something.
Flock characteristics
- The dominant birds subordinate the weaker ones. However, the leader of this group will be the one who exerts the greatest force at the time of flight, which will benefit the others who follow him.
- Often, their flights are erratic, especially when the weather is changing, as the case of the flock of swallows.
- Those of several species are usually composed of small numbers of many species, increasing the benefits of numbers but also increases the potential competition for resources.
- Those of poultry are generally composed of a particular type of birds, being herds that are formed in particular situations in which the birds come together to fly or move together, such as the flock of chickens.
- In many cases these herds can be formed to travel great distances.
- They are also known to form in cities where there is an abundant population of urban birds (such as pigeons or sparrows), in which case the birds do not seek to migrate but simply fly spontaneously together.
- Its main benefits are safety in numbers and increased foraging efficiency.
- Defense against predators is particularly important in closed habitats, such as forests, where predation is often by ambush and early warning provided by multiple eyes.
Flock objectives
Generally, these have as their main objective the search for food for the group, being able to travel short or long distances for this purpose. Another reason why birds are grouped in large groups is to carry out migrations, which are the movements of a flock from one region to another when there is a change in season, so they will look for warmer climates where they can spend a season until to be able to return to their place of origin.
