This species nests in North America, but during the winter it can occur in flocks of a million or more birds in Venezuela!

The Dickcissel, like most songbirds, defends territories during its breeding season, and it is spread out over eastern and central North American grasslands. But it spends its winters in a relatively small area of Venezuela, where it can be an agricultural pest because of its enormous foraging and roosting flocks.

The sight of extremely large flocks of birds whirling through the sky, changing shape as a group and avoiding individual collisions with one another, invokes a sense of awe and wonder. What must it be like to have such a mastery of flight?