Le houspillage (ou « mobbing ») chez les oiseaux

The mobbing behaviour consists of collective attacks (usually simulated, but very noisy) towards predators. Although mobbing requires time and energy, and is potentially dangerous, it obviously offers several benefits: discouraging predators, warning other birds of the presence of a possible attacker; and diverting attention from nests and chicks. Interestingly, some birds, e.g. Hooded Crow, mob smaller birds that cannot possibly pose a danger for them: in this case, mobbing could represent a way to « show off » and signal the bird social stuatus and physical fitness.
In this article, Roberto Garavaglia (Ebnitalia.it) reviews the pros and cons of mobbing behaviors, and gives us some interesting exemples.