After watching the Starlings battle each other on my bird feeders for a month, I discovered that they display advanced pugilistic techniques. The more experienced Starlings know to keep an eye out for incoming birds and hang onto something solid on the feeder when an incoming attacker tries to knock them off. Often they use what we used to call a "Bums Rush" during junior high. The incoming bird has nothing to hang onto and has to rely on inertial force when they collide, like a cue ball hitting a colored ball on the pool table. What amazes me is that the bird that loses the battle often takes a turn around the yard and then comes back and tries again from a different angle using the "catch him by surprise" technique. Hope you enjoy the image I created, where I lessened the clutter in the back ground.
Great caption and wonderful capture and process.
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