Document Type
Article
Publication Title
The Wilson Bulletin
Publisher
Wilson Ornithological Society
Publication Date
3-1997
Volume
109
Disciplines
Life Sciences
Abstract
Foraging in single- or mixed-species flocks is common among many bird species, and the advantages of being in these flocks have been the focus of several investigations (reviewed by Moynihan 1962, Bertram 1978). It has been hypothesized that birds occurring in mixed-species flocks gain advantages from (1) reduced predation risk (e.g., Moynihan 1962, Morse 1970), (2) increased foraging efficiency (e.g., Moynihan 1962, Morse 1970), or (3) social learning (e.g., Ward and Zahavi 1973). Here, we report the anomalous occurrence of flocks consisting of species not typically found in the types of aggregations we describe and suggest the possible function of these aggregations with respect to these hypotheses.
Keywords
snail kites, boat-tailed grackles, limpkins
Recommended Citation
Bennetts, Robert E. and Dreitz, Victoria J., "Possible Use of Wading Birds as Beaters by Snail Kites, Boat-Tailed Grackles, and Limpkins" (1997). Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications. 63.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/wildbio_pubs/63