>>Yes choughs can be cruel, usually to other groups but sometimes to their own group members. This depends on how the group was formed. If the younger birds are all the offspring of the breeding pair life within the group is usually pretty peaceful. This happens
after long periods (several years) of good weather with the groups just getting bigger and bigger, but united by their shared genetics.
But if the group is composed of two or more factions of relatives that joined forces then there can be big power struggles within the group for the breeding positions. This type of group formation happens most during the drought years when lots of birds die
and groups break up and reform. The power struggles tend to be won by older choughs who dispersed with offspring or others from their previous group. Those that disperse by themselves have more trouble finding a breeding spot. So what I suspect is that your
poor lonely bird was a disperser who tried to join up with other unrelated birds but didn't have the support it needed to consolidate its position in the new group, and was ultimately kicked out. A lone chough, calling plaintively, is a sorry sight I agree.<<
