Nature and Football: Aerial Warfare in Nature: Bird Battles

This exciting series of fighting behaviours occurred during a birding session at Empress Garden. All of us know about aerial warfare from fighter planes in the human world, courtesy of fantastic action films like Top Gun. But do you know about the aerial warfare which takes place daily- amongst the birds around us?

The start of our birding day blessed us with lovely weather- bright sunshine, a mild chill and no sign of rain- a perfect morning for birding! Our first sighting was a bird at the absolute apex of the food chain, a small but impressive predator- the shikra. Donning a sharp, strong beak and sporting a dark slaty shade on its wings, it looked intense. Perched majestically on a tree top, it waited intently to strike its prey. The rose-ringed parakeets on the nearby branch were the target. Sitting peacefully, preening their gorgeous green bodies, these were their last moments of tranquil. The parakeets had spotted the shikra on the nearby branch! Now, the prey was not going to give up without creating a ruckus for the raptor Suddenly, the air was filled with their high-pitched shrieking alarm calls. The parakeets made a quick escape flight to a tree some distance away. This was a haven for them. Just like home alarms warn us of burglars, bird alarm calls alert other birds about predators in their home patch. Soon, these alarm calls also alerted the other avian residents of the trees- mynahs and crows. The parakeets were not alone now! They had backup. We saw 3-4 black avian shadows ascend onto the tree. The plucky crows had made their way to the tree occupied by the Shikra. They had decided to fight fire with fire. Constantly harassing, pecking and following the shikra, they tried to intimidate the bird of prey. The crows made the most of their biggest advantage over the raptor- teamwork and strength in numbers. It was amazing to see a predator being bullied into evasion by sheer persistence and unity.

Crows are one of the most intelligent birds. They’re known for using tools for opening food cans to eat and being able to recognize aggressive human faces. Learning to ward off potential predators would have been child’s play for the crows. The shikra had to shift to a different, unoccupied tree for now.

For now, the prey had defeated the predator. But surely, the second instalment of this aerial battle might take place soon. The Shikra may have an extra weapon up its sleeve in the next battle. In our books, we learn predator versus prey as a battle of two. In nature, situations are more complex and interesting-with multiple species battling it out!

This account is just one of the many enthralling animal fighting encounters happening in the skies around us right in the city.There are so many amazing behaviours going on all around us, we just need to look up!

Photo Gallery(All photos by N.S. Sivasankaran)

1.Shikra making a beeline for tree used by the parakeets