| Volume 14, Number 2(b) | February 5, 1999 |
ON AVIAN SOCIETIES
An Observation Of Democracy Among Geese
I may have written about this before, but it is a very curious thing which I observed on the part of Geese.
The observation was made at a place of employment, but so as to not get the employer involved, it is best to not mention the location of the observation. I won't even mention the date of the observation.
I had the opportunity to be within 100 feet of a flock of migratory Geese who were feeding in a feeding area. The Geese were standing in a semi-circle near a river. All of them faced a group of 3 or 4 birds which were in what would have been the center of the circle if it were complete.
The Geese were totally silent. The group at the center were "talking". It sounded as if they were giving instructions to the flock.
Amazingly it seemed that there was a dominant male voice and a dominant female voice and one or two lesser voices who offered advise to the "leaders".
To this observer the situation appeared to be one of Democracy in action.
The observation of the Geese in Democratic action fits in with findings reported by Life Scientists in recent years, which indicate that animals have societies which are similar to human society.
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Complete issues available at Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln, Nebraska.