Editing Bird (section)

===Flocking and other associations===
[[File:Red-billed quelea flocking at waterhole.jpg|thumb|right|alt= massive flock of tiny birds seen from distance so that birds appear as specks|[[Red-billed quelea]]s, the most numerous species of wild bird,<ref name = "flycatcher">{{Cite book |last=Sekercioglu |first=Cagan Hakki |year=2006 |chapter=Foreword |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World |series=Vol. 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers |editor=Josep del Hoyo |editor2=Andrew Elliott |editor3=David Christie |location=Barcelona |publisher=Lynx Edicions |isbn=84-96553-06-X |page=48|title-link=Handbook of the Birds of the World}}</ref> form enormous flocks{{snd}}sometimes tens of thousands strong.]]
While some birds are essentially territorial or live in small family groups, other birds may form large [[flock (birds)|flocks]]. The principal benefits of flocking are [[safety in numbers]] and increased foraging efficiency.<ref name = "Gill"/> Defence against predators is particularly important in closed habitats like forests, where [[ambush predation]] is common and multiple eyes can provide a valuable [[early warning system]]. This has led to the development of many [[mixed-species feeding flock]]s, which are usually composed of small numbers of many species; these flocks provide safety in numbers but increase potential competition for resources.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Terborgh |first=John |year=2005 |title=Mixed flocks and polyspecific associations: Costs and benefits of mixed groups to birds and monkeys |journal=American Journal of Primatology |volume=21 |issue=2|pages=87–100 |doi=10.1002/ajp.1350210203|pmid=31963979 }}</ref> Costs of flocking include bullying of socially subordinate birds by more dominant birds and the reduction of feeding efficiency in certain cases.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hutto |first=Richard L. |date=January 1988|title=Foraging Behavior Patterns Suggest a Possible Cost Associated with Participation in Mixed-Species Bird Flocks |journal=[[Oikos (journal)|Oikos]] |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=79–83 |doi=10.2307/3565809 |jstor=3565809|bibcode=1988Oikos..51...79H }}</ref> Some species have a mixed system with breeding pairs maintaining territories, while unmated or young birds live in flocks where they secure mates prior to finding territories.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sundar |first1=K. S. Gopi |last2=Grant |first2=John D. A. |last3=Veltheim |first3=Inka |last4=Kittur |first4=Swati |last5=Brandis |first5=Kate |last6=McCarthy |first6=Michael A. |last7=Scambler |first7=Elinor |date=2019 |title=Sympatric cranes in northern Australia: abundance, breeding success, habitat preference and diet |journal=Emu - Austral Ornithology |volume=119 |issue=1 |pages=79–89 |doi=10.1080/01584197.2018.1537673 |bibcode=2019EmuAO.119...79S }}</ref>

Birds sometimes also form associations with non-avian species. Plunge-diving [[seabird]]s associate with [[dolphin]]s and [[tuna]], which push shoaling fish towards the surface.<ref name = "AU">{{Cite journal|last=Au |first=David W.K. |date=1 August 1986|title=Seabird interactions with Dolphins and Tuna in the Eastern Tropical Pacific |journal=The Condor |volume=88 |issue=3 |pages=304–317 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v088n03/p0304-p0317.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v088n03/p0304-p0317.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |doi=10.2307/1368877|author2=Pitman|jstor=1368877 }}</ref> Some species of [[hornbill]]s have a [[Mutualism (biology)|mutualistic relationship]] with [[dwarf mongoose]]s, in which they forage together and warn each other of nearby [[birds of prey]] and other predators.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Anne |first1=O. |date=June 1983 |title=Dwarf mongoose and hornbill mutualism in the Taru desert, Kenya |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=181–190 |doi=10.1007/BF00290770 |last2=Rasa |first2=E.|bibcode=1983BEcoS..12..181A }}</ref>