Though we think of the hymn “We gather together” as a song of Thanksgiving, in the 1600s, it actually was a Dutch folksong. It was transformed into a hymn when members of the Dutch Reformed Church rebelled and after 80 years and escaped tribulation when the Netherlands was freed from Spanish rule.
But like most American families who gather together for a Thanksgiving dinner, winter flocks of birds gather together to feed. Behaviorists have discovered that the greater the amount of food available, the more birds eat. The original research was done with chickens, but it has been replicated with wild birds.
When the food supply is generous, birds consume generous helpings. The explanation is that “the more intense the stimulus, the more vigorous the response.” (Perhaps this explains human appetites during the holidays.)
But an important part of the Thanksgiving tradition is also true of birds. It goes by the fancy name of “social facilitation.” Basically, a lone bird behaves differently from a bird in a group. Consequently, when a flock of birds gather together, each bird eats more than it would eat in isolation. This may help explain why flocking helps birds survive… a bird in a flock would build up the body fat it needs to get through the winter.
May you flock, or at least gather together with those you love to share a bountiful Thanksgiving feast.
