The wildebeest spends at least half of the year grazing on the plains, which provide no cover for hiding from predators. Therefore, the wildebeest, being [G 21 / gregarious] by nature, finds security in numbers whether it is in herds of a few or a few thousand. Those which stray and lose their anonymity are more easily singled out for the kill.
During the dry season, wildebeest wander the woodlands searching for grazing land and water sources in small herds of typically ten to a hundred. They form larger herds of several hundred at watering holes, then disperse again for grazing.
When the short rains begin at the end of October or early November, small herds begin to congregate and form groups of thousands. The enormous herds [N 001 / migrate] to the eastern plains where their sprawling numbers cover the grasslands for grazing throughout the wet season.
When female wildebeest prepare for birth, they separate and form large herds in an area where the grass is the shortest and drop their calves between late January and early March. As the rains end, they gather in great mixed herds of males and females and [G 42 / rut] begins. When rut ends three to four weeks later, they move off the plains in smaller groups.
