These birds flock in swarms of thousands- but why is still a mystery... These birds flock in mesmerizing swarms of thousands—but why is still a mystery.
Defending against predators can’t completely explain why European starlings create such incredible patterns in the sky.
It’s a mesmerizing sight: Thousands of birds move in unison through the evening sky, whirling and swooping as if performing a highly synchronized ballet. When they finally descend to their treetop roost, the beating of their iridescent wings creates such a rush of sound that the noise earned the phenomenon its unusual name: a murmuration of starlings.
The term is unique to European, or common starlings, one of the world’s most abundant—and adaptable—birds. Native to the United Kingdom as well as Europe, starlings have become invasive species throughout the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa, and many other countries where, over centuries, they were introduced either by accident or on purpose. In the late 1890s, a group of Shakespeare enthusiasts released about a hundred European starlings into New York City’s Central Park, hoping to populate the area with every bird mentioned in the playwright’s works.
Though starlings can be a nuisance and a threat to native birds, their murmurations are breathtaking spectacles that often draw crowds to watch.
crombie-1ex_web.webp
starling2.jpg
6322869821_3db23310d4_b.jpg
InsistentDistantElephantbeetle-size_restricted.gif
e219ae61a049aad25a1f6ebf78b278a6.gif
https://www.treehugger.com/the-incre...ations-4863751