Does a roosting flock of migratory birds also echelon in high winds?

Anshuman Bhardwaj; Lydia Sam

doi:10.1007/s10164-022-00758-x

Does a roosting flock of migratory birds also echelon in high winds?

Anshuman Bhardwaj^* (Corresponding Author), Lydia Sam

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

The organized aerial manoeuvres of birds in “V” and “J” flock echelons have always captivated onlookers and several of these aspects are still a matter of ongoing research. However, we could not find any published evidence or report on echeloning in a roosting flock of birds in high wind conditions. Here, we provide first evidence of an echelon in a roosting flock of the Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus ostralegus) at the onset of Storm Malik in Scotland on the morning of the 29th of January 2022, under ~ 11 ms−1 winds. This observation opens-up several new research questions on if, how, and why birds position themselves in a flock while roosting in high winds.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	291–296
Number of pages	6
Journal	Journal of ethology
Volume	40
Early online date	23 Jul 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-022-00758-x
Publication status	Published - 1 Sept 2022

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements
We thank the Editor-in-Chief Prof. Kensuke Nakata and the two reviewers for their time and useful suggestions during the review process.

Funding
This study has not received any funding.

Keywords

Bird flock
Cluster formation
Flock echelon
Eurasian oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegus ostralegus
High winds
Storm Malik

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10.1007/s10164-022-00758-x

Bhardwarj_PS_Does_a_Roosting_VOR
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Cite this

@article{5495f3a49eba475a814d1a7dc12ef3c2,

title = "Does a roosting flock of migratory birds also echelon in high winds?",

abstract = "The organized aerial manoeuvres of birds in “V” and “J” flock echelons have always captivated onlookers and several of these aspects are still a matter of ongoing research. However, we could not find any published evidence or report on echeloning in a roosting flock of birds in high wind conditions. Here, we provide first evidence of an echelon in a roosting flock of the Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus ostralegus) at the onset of Storm Malik in Scotland on the morning of the 29th of January 2022, under ~ 11 ms−1 winds. This observation opens-up several new research questions on if, how, and why birds position themselves in a flock while roosting in high winds.",

keywords = "Bird flock, Cluster formation, Flock echelon, Eurasian oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus ostralegus, High winds, Storm Malik",

author = "Anshuman Bhardwaj and Lydia Sam",

note = "Acknowledgements We thank the Editor-in-Chief Prof. Kensuke Nakata and the two reviewers for their time and useful suggestions during the review process. Funding This study has not received any funding.",

year = "2022",

month = sep,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1007/s10164-022-00758-x",

language = "English",

volume = "40",

pages = "291–296",

journal = "Journal of ethology",