Only if you really observe Nature as closely as I do will you notice that birds have personalities. Mostly "birds of a feather really do stick together" in that each species seems to have a certain way of operating.
Mourning Doves (yes, that's mourning, not "morning" because of their sad whistling song) are a particularly interesting lot. They are fierce as babys or "immature" birds and will fight off any and all challenging adults at the food bowl. That is despite their reputation as lovey doves, which I believe they have earned for another reason.
They are perhaps the most prolific of backyard birds in the reproduction area and will produce two or three nests per season. It is always the more colorful males you see chasing and bullying the females from early February, right thru til September. They are quite colorful, although good camouflage makes us see them as drab brown. Their legs and feet are hot pink, wedgewood blue on the top of their heads with a matching eye ring, and shiny metallic gold and pink decorations on the sides of their necks. Perhaps that's what makes them irresistable to the ladies!
They have to be plentiful because Doves are the preferred menu item for hawks, unfortunately for them, due to their plumpness.
Grackles are rude. They have great survival skills... just chase everyone away from the seeds and they are yours! They are loud, travel in gangs and have longer sharp beaks. Also very prolific, perhaps because of their brashness, but less desirable to preditors because of their mob mentality. Who wants to get in the middle of that! They are also the ones who you frequently see dive-bombing a hawk, crows or Osprey in mid air while pecking them on the head. They are useful to other birds in that way like the mafia is useful in keeping other thugs out of their district!
Starlings hang with the grackles. They are disguise artists and look like different birds in the Winter than they do in the Summer. They are also rude, pushy and will eat anything, particularly if you have provided it with love for another species! In two seconds, your Woodpecker's suet will be gone! They seem to have an insatiable hunger. As youngins they have a particularly annoying squeal that never stops! They also come in mobs and when they swoop in and join the Grackles the sound of their wingbeats is a loud whoosh! Starlings make a cackling series of snapping, crackling sounds like someone shuffling a deck of cards along with some pretty talented whistling. When they leave with the other blackbirds, they darken the sky with their minions.
Redwing Blackbirds are more loners. The males will join the pack of blackbirds, if they have nothing better to do, but they are more the family type. They spend most of their time fetching food for their females on nests, and their young, although they have been known to have more than one family at a time. Scandalous! They are also loud, gregarious birds, but beautiful and not at all annoying- unless you count that ear piercing two note whistle!
Friendly Brown Headed Cowbirds on the other hand have not a care in the world. They will fly with the notorious Blackbird Gang, but only because they know where all the best food courts are. BHCBs are so carefree because all they have to do is mate and go back to having fun! Females pirate other birds' nests, meaning that they watch other species building their nests and when the time is right, they sneak in and deposit the orphaned eggs for some other poor unsuspecting bird to raise. Usually it is a Song Sparrow's nest here and since Cowbird babies are almost as large as Sparrow Moms, I have observed a comical, but sad scenario many times.
Lets pick another color... Blue's good! It is said to calm your mood and that is sure true if you like laughing so hard you're exhausted. I once witnessed a bunch of Blue Jays in a bare tree (which is rare, usually they are seen in pairs or alone). It was like some kind of crazy carnival ride! There was bobbing and squealing and jiggling and giggling. Ok, the giggling was me, but Blue Jays have a sense of humor! They are very smart and will steal things, especially shiny ones and fly off with them to who knows where, as if we could follow. I saw a playful jay swipe a ticket right out of hand of a girl waiting on a line! And then there was the time three Blue Jays turned the tables on a Coopers hawk and were harrassing and poking at him/her high up in a tree. They seemed to be enjoying the reversal of roles since it was not nesting season and there were no babies to protect.
Speaking of cheeky behavior, Cedar Waxwings, those caring, community-minded citizens travel in small flocks. Waxwings will pass a berry all the way down a line of birds to make sure the ones on the end get fed. Awww...
Mockingbirds are mimics of other birds, as you may know, but if you listen to their recital, you might hear car alarm sounds or other noises they pick up in their individual neighborhoods!
Catbirds will watch you as much as you watch them. The curious birds will quietly sit and observe you in your garden, moving only to get a closer view of you. And as you may know, I have a particular Catbird friend who has come to trust me and will eat jelly out of a tiny bowl in my hand. His wife is more skittish, but still friendly. Their personalities seem to be sweet.
Ok, one more and then I gotta go! Chickadees, are fearless! Their tiny size doesn't stop them from eating out of your hand once they're used to you, or mixing it up with the big kids. They are quick little suckers, so they are not afraid of hawks and Crows as they can easily outfly them. They also "wear their hearts on their sleeves" so to speak. I say this because they are always making some sound that sounds appropriate to whatever they are doing at the time, and they have loads of songs, tweets and individual notes! Happy, busy even plaintiff or like a sad cry.
There are gazillions more species (well, lots anyway) and I will do my best to psychoanalyze them for you as I discover their individual and species-wide Bird-sonalities!
