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Can anyone give me any links to information about these. There are an increasing number of breeding magpies in the urban park opposite my house in London. Yesterday my neighbour witnessed about 30 in a plane tree, they were flying in and out from all directions so hard to count. noisy but taking turns like a proper conference. Later a group broke away and about 15 re-congregated in a plane tree just outside the park. Half an hour later they'd all dispersed.
So far we haven't been able to find out anything about this behaviour other than a note of the name.
At this time of year, unpaired youngsters are getting together in large groups before pairing off in the spring. This is why you see larger groups of magpies in the autumn/winter.
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
It's not the same as a "parliament of rooks" unless they are all picking on one bird which is sick or injured. Not sure what these pairing off gatherings should be called. I call them "corvid speed dating"(!)
All the crow species do it, don't they Maisie?
:-)
Seriously thinking about trying harder!
I suppose they could be testing the ground for future relationships and establishing a pecking order. Or discussing which crow to try to torment next!! A favourite pastime for our local maggies.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.