topic Re: Bird Behavior in Garden

Bird Behavior

drizzellla — Sun, 24 May 2026 02:21:34 GMT

This afternoon a bunch of birds ganged up on a bird in our backyard. They make lots of noise while they were doing it. My husband said he thought the bird that was being attacked was young. After the attack my husband checked on the bird and it was still breathing. Later when he checked the bird was dead.

I looked up why birds would attack another bird and saw this - "Birds attack other birds primarily due to competition for mates and territory, defense against predators, and protection of offspring."

Since my husband thought the bird was young, I really don't think any of those reasons applied.There is plenty of bird food in our backyard. So there are numerous different types of birds all the time. And they seem to get along. They are all busy eating.

We have had birds attacked before but it was hawks, a fox and cats never other birds before - that we know of. Why would birds do it?

Re: Bird Behavior

sabatini — Sun, 24 May 2026 02:41:59 GMT

@drizzellla, would you happen to know what kind of birds did the attacking? Were they a different type than the victim?

I know that grackles are attackers, & I even saw one grab a baby sparrow and stride around with it clutched in his claw, until he finally bit its head off.

I can't stand grackles, though I get a bang out of some of their crazy antics and referee whistlings.

They've been coined 'devil birds'.

However, it's true that there are many reasons that birds attack others. One is if the victim bird is sickly.

Sick birds will often pretend they're OK, and perch while hanging on to dear life, until they fall off, dead. But better that than to be subjected to the pecking order.

Re: Bird Behavior

drizzellla — Sun, 24 May 2026 02:53:29 GMT

@sabatini I did not see or hear the attack. I was told about it after it happened. My son heard it and told me.

He has been out since it happened. I will quiz him when he gets home.

Re: Bird Behavior

sabatini — Sun, 24 May 2026 17:56:05 GMT

OK, @drizzellla. I'm interested to hear what he says.

Re: Bird Behavior

drizzellla — Sun, 24 May 2026 18:12:59 GMT

@sabatini wrote:
OK, @drizzellla. I'm interested to hear what he says.

I am too

He went out to dinner with friends last night and then went to a program in Wind Gap, PA. It is at least an hour and a half away. He got home at 3:30 AM. Woke up and went to his friend's house for a cook out.

Not sure when he will be flying through our house again but I am going to ask him, eventually.

Re: Bird Behavior

sabatini — Sun, 24 May 2026 21:23:09 GMT

@drizzellla, no worries. He sounds like my boys!

LOL, like mercury, nearly impossible to catch hold of.

Re: Bird Behavior

drizzellla — Mon, 25 May 2026 03:29:36 GMT

@sabatini wrote:
@drizzellla, no worries. He sounds like my boys!
LOL, like mercury, nearly impossible to catch hold of.

Well, this is what we think happened.

My son said he isn't sure what kind of birds were attacking the one bird. He said he wanted to see the birds. He would know it when he saw it.

Of course our entire dinner was cooked on our outside grill, so no birds were in the backyard.

But my husband saw the injured bird. He was sure it was a young Starling. And Starlings travel in large groups and tend to take over the birdfeeders. So we are thinking it was Starlings that attacked the young bird. Because my son said it was a group of birds.

Our birdfeeeder attracts sparrows, doves, cardinals, finches and woodpeckers. And none of those birds travel in large groups.

So we suspect - Starlings.

PS - Previously we had always referred to Starlings as "Bully Birds". Because they are.

Re: Bird Behavior

gardenman — Mon, 25 May 2026 12:46:27 GMT

Birds can be vicious. Sparrows were often one of the worst offenders here. Two would squabble, then more would join in, and before long, one of them would be dead.

Nature is often a violent and cruel place. A lot of people have this benign view of nature being peaceful and lovely with no issues, but in reality, it's more of a never-ending warzone. Pretty much everything is trying to kill pretty much everything else. Not always for food or any known reason. Often, the killing seems random. Very similar to human nature.

Re: Bird Behavior

drizzellla — Mon, 25 May 2026 14:08:51 GMT

@gardenman wrote:
Birds can be vicious. Sparrows were often one of the worst offenders here. Two would squabble, then more would join in, and before long, one of them would be dead.

Nature is often a violent and cruel place. A lot of people have this benign view of nature being peaceful and lovely with no issues, but in reality, it's more of a never-ending warzone. Pretty much everything is trying to kill pretty much everything else. Not always for food or any known reason. Often, the killing seems random. Very similar to human nature.

@gardenman You got that right. The sparrows can cause quite a commotion. We have a bird house on a tree. And good affordable housing is hard to find. So on occasion you will find nest material on the ground and lots of noisy comments being exchanged.

And I have seen a bluebird pecking at another bird that was laying on the ground (dead? probably). Can't help but wonder if the blue bird caused the bird to be lying on the ground.

And often have seen several crows attacking a hawk. But I am sure the hawk caused trouble as it was looking for food. We even had a dead hawk on our front lawn once.

We put out lots of birdseed daily. And want every critter to come and eat. And go away fat and happy. Things don't always happen the way you want.

Re: Bird Behavior

sabatini — Tue, 26 May 2026 01:58:03 GMT

@drizzellla, thanks for the update, & @gardenman, you're right about nature. Kill or be killed.

Watching birds and learning about their respective habits is so fascinating, isn't it?

My mom was a bird lover, always fed them, & I can remember her shooing away the starlings when they'd descend on her feeder. If she didn't like them, then neither did I. Plus, they looked so ordinary.

Maybe you both already know about the incredible starling murmurations, but I only became aware of them about 15 years ago. Wow, just wow!

They truly filled with me with a deep, spiritual awe & I marveled at another one of God's creations.

Starlings aren't so ordinary after all!

IMO, this is the best video of a murmuration, or perhaps it's just the music which makes it more special to me.

I hope the video won't be removed.

Re: Bird Behavior

drizzellla — Tue, 26 May 2026 01:58:22 GMT

@sabatini wrote:

@drizzellla, thanks for the update, & @gardenman, you're right about nature. Kill or be killed.

Watching birds and learning about their respective habits is so fascinating, isn't it?

My mom was a bird lover, always fed them, & I can remember her shooing away the starlings when they'd descend on her feeder. If she didn't like them, then neither did I. Plus, they looked so ordinary.

Maybe you both already know about the incredible starling murmurations, but I only became aware of them about 15 years ago. Wow, just wow!

They truly filled with me with a deep, spiritual awe & I marveled at another one of God's creations.

Starlings aren't so ordinary after all!

IMO, this is the best video of a murmuration, or perhaps it's just the music which makes it more special to me.

I hope the video won't be removed.

OK @sabatini I want to know how all those birds did not go crashing into one another. They were changing direction so often. I expected to see one or more falling with each direction change. And how were they able to predict what the next change would be. Amazing to watch.

I learned that Starlings were "imported" to the US. Guess that explains why that video is from England. They have even more Starlings than we do in the US.

There is a park near our house where we often walk. And on the phone we have downloaded a site. It is able to pick up the sounds of each individual bird. Sometimes there is a list of at least 10 different birds. Some birds just come to the park this time of year to mate and then they leave.

Re: Bird Behavior

Patriot3 — Wed, 27 May 2026 13:00:16 GMT

I have taken down my bird feeder for a couple of weeks. The starlings are just terrible. It seems like there is no way to get rid of them. Anyone have a solution? They eat anything I put in the feeder.

Even tho I took down the feeder, I still hear them squawking. They are so mean. They scare away all the nice birds.

Re: Bird Behavior

sabatini — Wed, 27 May 2026 23:08:54 GMT

@drizzellla wrote:

OK @sabatini I want to know how all those birds did not go crashing into one another. They were changing direction so often. I expected to see one or more falling with each direction change. And how were they able to predict what the next change would be. Amazing to watch.

I learned that Starlings were "imported" to the US. Guess that explains why that video is from England. They have even more Starlings than we do in the US.

There is a park near our house where we often walk. And on the phone we have downloaded a site. It is able to pick up the sounds of each individual bird. Sometimes there is a list of at least 10 different birds. Some birds just come to the park this time of year to mate and then they leave.

@drizzellla, the murmurations are incredible, aren't they? I wondered the same thing back when I first saw them.

Imported birds are a HUGE problem! Some folks have short sighted ideas & mess things up, big time, by importing both flora and fauna.

Look at the kudzu in the South, wild pigs in Hawaii & did you know that pigeons & sparrows were also imported?

All of them have wreaked havoc.

TTYL, nice chatted with you, @drizzellla.

p.s. I'm sure you noticed that the video was removed. I guess it was a very bad & dangerous thing to share. The thoughtful mods are surely looking out for us!

It is fascinating, though, that inflammatory or vicious posts by some don't seem to bother the mods, even a little bit.

Re: Bird Behavior

drizzellla — Thu, 28 May 2026 02:33:44 GMT

@Patriot3 wrote:
I have taken down my bird feeder for a couple of weeks. The starlings are just terrible. It seems like there is no way to get rid of them. Anyone have a solution? They eat anything I put in the feeder.

Even tho I took down the feeder, I still hear them squawking. They are so mean. They scare away all the nice birds.

We have given up. The woodpecker liked the peanut suet. So we would always filled the suet holder with peanut suet. Well the Starlings also liked it. They would eat all the suet before the woodpecker knew it was there. So the poor Woodpeckers would try their best feeding on the Finch feeder. It didn't work well.

We fill the largest birdfeeder and I swear the Starlings have a scout and they know as soon as the feeder is filled. So a large group of Starlings descends and a gallon of birdseed is on the ground within minutes.

We have given up. So we load up the birdfeeders everyday and feed everyone that comes around.

Re: Bird Behavior

drizzellla — Thu, 28 May 2026 00:23:22 GMT

@sabatini wrote:
@drizzellla wrote:
OK @sabatini I want to know how all those birds did not go crashing into one another. They were changing direction so often. I expected to see one or more falling with each direction change. And how were they able to predict what the next change would be. Amazing to watch.

I learned that Starlings were "imported" to the US. Guess that explains why that video is from England. They have even more Starlings than we do in the US.

There is a park near our house where we often walk. And on the phone we have downloaded a site. It is able to pick up the sounds of each individual bird. Sometimes there is a list of at least 10 different birds. Some birds just come to the park this time of year to mate and then they leave.
@drizzellla, the murmurations are incredible, aren't they? I wondered the same thing back when I first saw them.

Imported birds are a HUGE problem! Some folks have short sighted ideas & mess things up, big time, by importing both flora and fauna.
Look at the kudzu in the South, wild pigs in Hawaii & did you know that pigeons & sparrows were also imported?
All of them have wreaked havoc.

TTYL, nice chatted with you, @drizzellla.

p.s. I'm sure you noticed that the video was removed. I guess it was a very bad & dangerous thing to share. The thoughtful mods are surely looking out for us!
It is fascinating, though, that inflammatory or vicious posts by some don't seem to bother the mods, even a little bit.

@sabatini I am glad I saw the video when I did. I did not notice it was removed. I still can't believe it. It was so impressive. Thanks for mentioning it.

I sometimes watch a show "To Catch A Smuggler" on the National Geographic Channel. I can not believe all the stuff, especially food items that people fill into their suitcases when they come to the US. Many items have insects because the fruits, leaves or items are raw materials. Even have seen raw chicken. I am amazed how many "hitchikers" that are caught.

Re: Bird Behavior

Sakuya — Thu, 28 May 2026 02:56:27 GMT

The video was removed because you can't out live links in posts (unless a QVC item, etc.)

But you can post, for example, "search in Youtube for blah blah blah" and then people can go find the video themselves.

Re: Bird Behavior

Patriot3 — Thu, 28 May 2026 13:17:02 GMT

@drizzellla wrote:
@Patriot3 wrote:
I have taken down my bird feeder for a couple of weeks. The starlings are just terrible. It seems like there is no way to get rid of them. Anyone have a solution? They eat anything I put in the feeder.

Even tho I took down the feeder, I still hear them squawking. They are so mean. They scare away all the nice birds.

We have given up. The woodpecker liked the peanut suet. So we would always filled the suet holder with peanut suet. Well the Starlings also liked it. They would eat all the suet before the woodpecker knew it was there. So the poor Woodpeckers would try their best feeding on the Finch feeder. It didn't work well.

We fill the largest birdfeeder and I swear the Starlings have a scout and they know as soon as the feeder is filled. So a large group of Starlings descends and a gallon of birdseed is on the ground within minutes.

We have given up. So we load up the birdfeeders everyday and feed everyone that comes around.

@drizzellla I have a large feeder that I'm not using right now. I got smaller ones and found the big starlings can't sit on them. Now they've brought their "kids".

The smaller ones try to get on the feeders. When I hear them squawking, I chase them away. I don't think there is a solution. Anything I've seen on the internet doesn't sound like a solution.

Yes, they either eat everything or throw it on the ground and chase away the smaller birds. Hate those things.

Re: Bird Behavior

sabatini — Thu, 28 May 2026 19:01:22 GMT

@Patriot3, I totally understand, & I also had to quit feeding birds, other than hummingbirds.

What mainly ruined it for me was pigeons. I tried everything to keep them off my feeder, but they were like squirrels. Every thing I tried, they'd adapt to it, & some of their tricks were impressive. When I put a cage around the feeder keeping them from seed, they devised a coordinated plan.

One would fly over & hang from the lower half, there by tilting the feeder. Another pigeon would fly to the opposite side & bang into the cage, spilling the seed to the ground. And the hoard would descend.

I wanted to take a video of it, but never did.

Re: Bird Behavior

Patriot3 — Thu, 28 May 2026 20:06:40 GMT

@sabatini wrote:
@Patriot3, I totally understand, & I also had to quit feeding birds, other than hummingbirds.

What mainly ruined it for me was pigeons. I tried everything to keep them off my feeder, but they were like squirrels. Every thing I tried, they'd adapt to it, & some of their tricks were impressive. When I put a cage around the feeder keeping them from seed, they devised a coordinated plan.
One would fly over & hang from the lower half, there by tilting the feeder. Another pigeon would fly to the opposite side & bang into the cage, spilling the seed to the ground. And the hoard would descend.
I wanted to take a video of it, but never did.

@sabatini Oh wow, never had trouble w/pigeons! I bet that was funny, but disgusting more than funny.

Re: Bird Behavior

sabatini — Fri, 29 May 2026 00:21:25 GMT

Yes, @Patriot3 , exactly!! More disgusting than funny.

Where I live now, we have a massive problem w/ pigeons. Our HOA has even hired falconers from time to time, just to keep them at bay. They come very early in the morning.

I do love raptors!

Intrusive, non native birds are a nightmare.