What is considered an invasive species here in North America; the European Starling is a black, speckled and rather unsightly bird, but it’s aerial spectacles are a sight to behold. Introduced to North America back in 1880, these birds are often thought of as pests, particularly to North American famers as they destroy valuable crops.
However, when these birds gather in the tens of thousands to perform what is referred to as a murmeration, it is difficult to look away.
As these birds band together, often as a defence mechanism, they create wild pulses of enlargement and diminution in an attempt to distance themselves from their predator.
A pair from the University of Gloucestershire recently posted a 60-second clip to the BBC Gloucestershire’s Facebook page of a flock of approximately 70,000 starlings performing what the BBC called, “the ballet of the skies”.
Watch the Video Below:
Starling MurmurationsStarling murmurations are the ballet of the skies. Here are 70,000 birds in formation witnessed by Vernon Harwood and expert, Dr Anne Goodenough from the University of Gloucestershire.
Posted by BBC Gloucestershire on Friday, February 5, 2016
