I witnessed a sad yet inspiring goodbye gathering. I noticed a bird on our
patio. She didn’t seem to have much energy, but she was eating seeds that were
lying on the ground. I left to return to my computer to work. When I check in on
the bird later, she looked even weaker than before. She managed to fly a little
way, but she fell when she tried to land on a nearby wire fence.

Several other birds of the same type arrived. There were at least six
individuals. They chirped as they circled the dying bird. The poor thing kept
trying to fly, but she just flopped around on the ground. At one point, she
rolled onto her side. After a few twitches, she rolled over so her back was
facing upward. She never moved again.

The other birds kept a vigil around her after she passed, but they were
quiet now. After about ten minutes, they began flying away one by one. After
that, a few birds came and went, but soon, the yard grew still.

The bird in the picture is not the one who died, but it is one of her kind.

We often think of such rituals as an exclusively human thing, but this was
one example of many where members of other species have their own ways of
saying goodbye to a loved one.

Rest in peace, little angel.