The European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a gregarious little bird with glossy black feathers and iridescent blue and green highlights.
What Are Starling Murmurations?
Starlings are extremely social birds, and form flocks of birds throughout the year. In the Autumn & Winter, they gather in groups of thousands when our resident Starlings are joined by migrating Starlings from Eastern & Northern Europe; escaping to our warmer climate.
The term Starling Murmuration is used to describe large groups of Starlings forming beautiful swirling patterns in the sky. The name murmuration derives from the sound of thousands of wings beating in unison. One of natures wonders, and one which couldn’t occur without the swelling of Starling numbers.
Why Do Starlings Form Into A Murmuration?
Simply put, we don’t know for sure! We can postulate though that the purpose is similar to a shoal of fish, where the sheer numbers make it confusing for predators to pick out individual birds. As the daylight fades and the evening draws in, large numbers of birds on the ground or in trees are potentially easy pickings for raptors. Whereas, swirling clouds of birds in the sky are much more difficult for a predator to comprehend. One thing is for sure, Starlings must have lightning fast reflexes, and an acute spacial awareness!
As darkness finally closes in, Starlings settle back into their roosts, and huddle up close together to keep warm. Perhaps the murmuration assists the birds to keep warm during the night, by warming up their bodies and then retaining that warmth amongst the group.
When & Where To See A Starling Murmuration
Murmurations start to form in the Autumn. Murmuration with the largest volume of Starlings occur during November through to early March. The best places to spot them are near areas where large numbers of birds can form, such as woodlands, reed beds, cliffs, and manmade structures like bridges and piers.
