As an example, the black-faced spoonbill when looking for fish in the water is well aware it is slow to react to natural enemies and often chooses to associate with the great white egret, letting the egret act as a sentry.
以黑琵為例，當它們用嘴喙在水中搜尋魚兒時，自知對於天敵「反應遲鈍」，常會選擇與大白鷺為伍，讓大白鷺充當警衛兵。