Sunset is the time the birds gather in flocks and then leap into the sky to fly in synchronized display. Nevit Dilmen, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commonsįurthermore murmuration happens before night falls. Across the pond, Starling flocks can number millions of birds. In the U.K., Starlings from continental Europe arrive when the winter is colder and easterly winds blow toward the British Isles. In the Starlings original home, Europe and the United Kingdom, murmurations occur October through March. So, murmuration happens in the late autumn through late winter, and not in the breeding season. But Starlings murmurate even when no birds of prey are around. Furthermore a predator could watch the birds actions as they returned to their nests and know exactly where tasty baby Starlings slept. Probably because the nesting pairs have babies to take care of and the adults have to sit on the nests all night. It doesn’t happen during the breeding season. Murmuration happens when birds fly together then drop down to their roosts for the night. I won’t try to figure out how this relates to birds flocking. The word comes from late Middle English word for ‘to murmur’. When Starlings flock together in the sky and twist and turn, swerve and dive, the formation is called a murmuration. Of course, I had to research the how and whys behind this phenomena. Each bird seems to know what the others or a leader will do and mimic the movement a split second later. I watch the Starlings fly in synchronization. I savor the time this tree is here, because I know the owner of the house wants to cut the tree down. Starlings gather in the Tulip tree before murmuration.Įver watch starlings fly in perfect synchronization and wonder how they do it? A flock of about a hundred Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) gather in the Tulip Poplar tree across the back drive from my house.
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