Quote:
Originally Posted by M_Six
Predation! Great shot, DC. 
I have a bird feeders in my back yard and every now and then all the birds will just disappear. If I search around the trees, I'll sometimes spot a red tail hawk lurking. They fear the hawks more than the local cats that happen by. |
Yes, birds know their predators and behave accordingly. Gulls won't budge at all if a fish-eating osprey flies over, but they'll all squawk and take off if an eagle or red-tail hawk flies over. They know one raptor vs. another.
I once saw a Merlin close in on a fleeing meadowlark, closing from 50-yards behind in about 5-seconds, even though the meadowlark was flying as fast as it could. It's a bird-eat-bird world out there.