How Birds Work Together to Drive Away Owls and Hawks

Feathered Vigilantes: The Power and Survival Tactics of Bird Mobbing

Have you ever seen birds harassing a bird of prey or a domestic cat? This video goes into what's going on and why.

© All videos and photos in the video are my own. Please do not use any of my images without my written permission.

00:00 Intro
00:19 Why Do Birds Move their head so much?
00:34 What Does Blue Jay Mobbing Call Sound Like?
00:49 Chickadee Mobbing Boreal Owl
00:57 Why Do Birds Mob other animals?
01:19 Chickadee Alarm Call
01:34 What does Chickadee Mobbing Calls Sound like?
02:45 Crows dive-bombing a Raven
03:00 Crows Mobbing a Great-horned Owl
03:11 Why do Crows Mob Owls?
03:47 What Does a Chickadee Alarm Call sound like?
04:12 What does The Chickadee-dee-dee call sound like?
04:35 The Sound of Chickadees mobbing a small Boreal Owl
05:23 Do Chickadees Alert other birds and animals to predators?
05:49 Do Birds Mob a Predator alone?
06:18 The Power of Mobbing
06:49 What Does the Song of the Hermit Thrush sound like?
07:02 Mobbing is so much more than Survival

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[LesleytheBirdNerd]

Thank you for watching! Wishing everyone a good new week ahead🐦🕊
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[a.m.v.]

I live in the Sierra Nevada foothills and when I’m outside I always listen for this mobbing behavior. There has been so many times that it has shown me that rattlesnakes are around. I even credit some oak titmice and scrub jays for me not getting bitten by a rattlesnake. I was walking down some stairs outside and I heard them making a racket in a bush next to stairs so I stopped in my tracks. If I would’ve taken one more step I would’ve either stepped on snake which was just out of view behind next step or it would’ve bit me on back of leg.
Great video, so glad you are back.

[shashakeeleh]

I'm so happy to see your videos again!

[francineh.]

I witnessed this last week actually. I was at my sister's house and I heard a chickadee in a spruce tree making a panicked alarm call that I've never heard before. I wondered what was wrong so walked around the tree a couple of times. All of a sudden, literally two feet from my face, was a northern saw-whet owl! Such a beautiful owl but I think it had caught the partner of the bird who was calling. It was such a conflict of emotions...I felt really sad for the chickadee that was upset but was thrilled to see an owl at such a close distance.

[roberttuss]

I was walking in a wooded area one day, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a blue jay swooped down and knocked the hat off my head. I kept on my way and no further was I harassed. I'll never forget it.

[claudialunden]

When I hear mobbing, I stop and figure out what has them so upset. I want to make sure that it isn’t also a danger to me.

[YvonneRaphaelWriter]

I’m so glad you are doing these occasional videos! I’m really enjoying it!


I’ve seen mob behavior lots of times. It’s lots of fun to watch and I’ve been the intruder being mobbed, especially with chickadees and jays. Squirrels do it too for that matter.

I went for a walk once. Mostly because I needed to get away from a flock of ravens outside my house. They had been wound up about something for much of the day, and finally as I walked away from the house they were whipping each other into a huge frenzy. I got about a block away into a grove of trees where I knew some hawks were nesting. I heard that flock of ravens fly overhead and watched as it attacked that nesting pair of hawks. They killed one of the hawks who was sitting the nest. Then had an argument over the babies. It soon became obvious that the nest was empty and they were flying all around looking for the mate. They killed the mate too a few minutes later. It was hard to watch. I was baffled about why they would do that.

I asked around the next day. A few birders told me that it’s likely one of the hawks raided a raven nest, so they hunted for whoever did it all day, reporting progress to each other as they went. I lived in that area for more than a decade. I never heard such an event again. I’m sure after talking to other birders that action by the raven flock makes the whole neighborhood of birds think twice about getting a chick out of a raven nest. Ravens are some of the smartest birds I’ve ever seen. They use tools. Solve puzzles, and are capable of mimicry and simple conversations. Very fascinating birds.

[stimmons]

From now on when I hear a bunch of blue jays making racket I won't get so annoyed! Seriously though this was really interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[lunabeann]

Leslie has such a calm and relaxing voice. Ive been putting your videos on during moments of anxiety and it helps alot. Also my cat loves to watch with me ❤

[jpalberthoward]

I have been marveling at this kind of action up in my palm tree for 7-8 years now. every summer the mockingbirds start raiding the sparrows for eggs, stored food, and whatever they can get.
But those little sparrows are extremely smart, tough little guys, and they tolerate no BS. i've seen two of them take off from the tree, then come back a few minutes later with as many as 30 or 40 of their buddies from another tree, and sometimes a couple will show up in my tree, and they all take off towards a tree down the street.They know where to go for help, and it's awesome to watch how well they work together. They'll swarm the mockingbird, and hound him relentlessly until they run him off. sometimes they might have to do this 3 or 4 times to make sure he gets the message, but eventually they prevail, and the food and the kids are protected.
They constantly hang out on my big cactus, usually 20 or 30, in the early morning and late afternoon. i've earned their trust enough to where they'll sit at arm's length from me. and have a conversation while I throw peanuts and birdseed to them. It's impossible not only to love them but also to have profound respect and admiration for them because they're so smart, brave, and well organized. They have been an upgrade to my life for nearly 11 years now. It's hard to imagine what it would be like around here without them.

[animoetprudentia]

The pilliated woodpeckers are also very vocal alarmists. They appear to remain quiet until there's a threat nearby. A pair recently alerted me to a nearby hawk in a neighbor's tree. You can hear their retort from blocks away. It never fails to make me smile when hearing them. "Ooh! Woodpeckers!!" 😇

[krispociask]

One time while out in the woods I heard something similar so I went still, looking in the direction of the commotion. Within 20 seconds I watched a coyote walking down the opposite side of a narrow draw that I was bushwhacking. The one thing that stood out is that there were just as many squirrels sounding off, with each new bark indicating the direction the threat was moving. It's moments like these I enjoy sharing with my kids.

[irmawesterback]

It is so relaxing to watch your videos🦉🕊️🌿Thank you Leslie🥰

[animoetprudentia]

Years ago I was in a town upon lake superior for a weekend music gig. It was winter, but I went to the local park beach on Saturday just to take in the views. While there I was treated to the sight of songbirds etc mobbing a bald eagle. They harassed it until it took flight, and continued badgering it as it slowly circled upwards trying to gain altitude. It was surrounded by little birds chasing and diving at it, like fighter planes swarming a huge bomber. The crows did much of the work, but it seemed like every species in the neighborhood had their go as well. It went on for a good 15 minutes, Circling higher and higher into the clear blue sky until it reached an altitude that it could soar away. It was quite the spectacle, and I'll never forget it.

[thebirdperch_MI]

Great information, thanks for sharing!! I just had a situation today. I noticed the birds were not using the feeders. I started listening and heard the blue jays mobbing nearby. I had also heard what could have been a Red-shouldered Hawk earlier and a blue jay might have been harassing it. Later when I heard the mobbing (now I know the name for it!) I looked out the window and high up in a tree, there was a hawk overlooking the yard! About a minute later (once I got my camera ready to get a picture), the hawk took off. And just like that, the birds quieted down and returned to the feeders!

[Grandma_Jizzzzzzzard]

7:14 He's winking at Lesley! lol! Absolutely amazing cinematography AND observation. Spotting some of these critters is very difficult. Especially when you're trying to film them or photograph them! You are so in tune with the frequencies of the forest. And they know it and that is so beautiful🤍🤍🫧

[NondescriptMammal]

Top notch quality video. Love how you present the info, and the excellent video footage you provide. 🐦🐦‍⬛

[thesuburbanmorrigan]

The blue jays and crows (American and fish crows) frequently alert to Cooper's hawks down where I live. I've seen hawks chased off by individual blue jays as well a whole flock of crows -- and they don't stop pursuing once the hawk has flown off, either. Oddly, I have also seen crows and blue jays in the vicinity of a Cooper's hawk being quiet. They could see the hawk -- pretty sure they were watching it -- but there was some sort of detente in effect? Sometimes the crows lose their minds when there's a hawk around, and other times, they ignore it. Interesting. Thanks for another awesome video! Great to see you posting.

[zizzie]

Nice video. This is part of what Tom Brown Jr, The Tracker, called ‘concentric rings’; knowing what is happening around you, even if unseen, because you are aware of all the conversations.

[realskybluepink]

Love this video, thank you Lesley. Owl's camouflage is remarkable. And those Chickadees are adorable! Have a good week. 🐦❤