It’s not a coincidence that birds flock, so it’s not a coincidence that when one bird takes flight the rest follow. Flock formation allows for cooperative food hunting, information exchange, and protection from predators. A group of crows together is known as a “murder” of crows. There’s more than one origin for this expression, foremost probably being that crows are scavengers and are not averse to eating the dead bodies of their friends. Another theory hearkens back to old folklore which told of groups of crows essentially holding court over members of their flock that had committed offenses. If they decided against the “defendant” crow, then the rest of the flock swooped down on it and killed it. Traveling in a murder makes it difficult for a predator to pick out a single prey, and a flushing murder is usually the result of some danger that says “Let’s get the heck out of here”. The best strategy against a predator is to put another individual between you and the predator. Even better is to find a position in the middle of the flock, since it seems sort of risky to be on the outer edge. Obviously, this crow didn’t read the flocking rulebook.
Hey, I Didn’t Say Go!
ORIGINAL SOLD
It’s not a coincidence that birds flock, so it’s not a coincidence that when one bird takes flight the rest follow. Flock formation allows for cooperative food hunting, information exchange, and protection from predators. A group of crows together is known as a “murder” of crows. There’s more than one origin for this expression, foremost probably being that crows are scavengers and are not averse to eating the dead bodies of their friends. Another theory hearkens back to old folklore which told of groups of crows essentially holding court over members of their flock that had committed offenses. If they decided against the “defendant” crow, then the rest of the flock swooped down on it and killed it. Traveling in a murder makes it difficult for a predator to pick out a single prey, and a flushing murder is usually the result of some danger that says “Let’s get the heck out of here”. The best strategy against a predator is to put another individual between you and the predator. Even better is to find a position in the middle of the flock, since it seems sort of risky to be on the outer edge. Obviously, this crow didn’t read the flocking rulebook.
Or, maybe he’s a teenager.