THE IMPORTANCE OF CERTAIN ASSEMBLAGES OF BIRDS AS “INFORMATION‐CENTRES” FOR FOOD‐FINDING

1973/10/01 by Peter D. Ward, P. Ward, A. Zahavi +1 · 1,094 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Engineering · Environmental Science · #Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies #Avian ecology and behavior #Biological dispersal #Biology #Computer science #Computer security #Ecology #Economics #Engineering #Environmental resource management #Geography #Joint (building) #Plant and animal studies #Population #Predation #Sociology #Vulnerability (computing)

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.1973.tb01990.x

published in Ibis 115(4), 517-534 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 1973/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25

Abstract

Summary Evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that communal roosts, breeding colonies and certain other bird assemblages have been evolved primarily for the efficient exploitation of unevenly‐distributed food sources by serving as “information‐centres”. Predation‐pressure is regarded as being the most important factor “shaping” the assemblages. The shaping involves the choice of inaccessible or otherwise safe sites, optimum dispersal, mutual awareness of attack and joint defensive tactics, and serves to minimise the vulnerability to predation which would otherwise result when birds mass together in conspicuous, and often predictable centres.

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