ABC News Shares Mesmerizing Video of Swarms of Starlings Flying in England
If you need a moment of Zen in your day, this video that @ABC News shared on Wednesday, February 14th is it. The video is about 30 seconds long, and it will immediately relax you and bring you a few moments of calmness.
The video, shot in Lincoln, England, shows thousands of birds called starlings flying around above a shopping center parking lot. They are flying in these beautiful formations that almost look like schools of fish swimming in the ocean or like they're dancing. It's something that I've never seen before, and it's absolutely mesmerizing to watch!
What an incredible sight! I would've stood there for an hour if they kept doing it, though they usually only do this for a few minutes (but have been recorded doing it for up to 45 minutes). @ABC News commenters were just as impressed, and @Abnet Mezgebe had my favorite comment, "Wow they made an abstract art it's so cool!" Many others thought it was a sign, like the commenter who said, "Now I see why the ancients used birds to omens."
Related: Golden Retriever's Reaction to Seeing Flocks of Birds in Flight Is Downright Priceless
What Are These Starlings Doing?
Starlings are songbirds that are about 8 inches long, with iridescent black feathers and a long, sharp beak...they are pretty birds! Unlike most birds that hop around on the ground, starlings walk when they forage for grains, fruits, berries, and even small frogs or lizards occasionally. They prefer to live in rural areas and farmland (where there's lots of food), and where there are fields of short grass for foraging. They love to mimic other bird calls and are known to mimic human sounds like sirens and alarms and ringing telephones.
The beautiful formations that create are actually called murmuration, "the flocking behavior of starlings in groups of hundreds or even thousands." and starlings are known to do this during the winter months. It's said that the name "murmuration" comes from comes from the sound the birds' wings all make when they're flying together. I wonder if the people below could hear the sound.
These formations often occur at sunset and the birds do this above the place that they are roosting for the night. Some scientists think they do this to keep large predators (like hawks, falcons, and cats) away from the groups while others think it's to generate heat.
If you want to see one, these occur most in the United Kingdom, but there are places in the States that it happens too, although it's rarer. I live in the South, and many commenters mentioned seeing them frequently here. I guess I'm going to need to pay more attention and see if I can get lucky enough to see a murmuration for myself!
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