Starling murmurations are one of the most mind-blowing phenomena of the animal kingdom. Before dusk, thousands of these birds fly in a group, twisting and swirling to form shape-shifting dark clouds. Wildlife artist and filmmaker Robert E. Fuller captured sweeping 4K footage of a winter starling murmuration over the Ripon City Wetlands in Yorkshire, England. The spectacular video offers a front-row seat to this breathtaking natural spectacle.
“Starling murmurations are one of Britain’s greatest wildlife spectacles. Studies suggest the birds congregate in great swirling masses to confuse predators,” explains Fuller on his YouTube Channel. “This was filmed at Ripon City Wetlands, a wildlife reserve managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.”
The starlings make it to this area of the United Kingdom during the winter to escape the colder weather of Scandinavia. There, they are able to congregate for the season before disbanding in the spring. These formations work against predators because it makes it harder for them to focus on a single individual or simply scares them off, given the sheer size of the black cloud of birds. This is a prime example that there truly is power in numbers.
For all the beauty of these murmurations, their inner workings remain a mystery for ornithologists, especially as to how communication works among the birds. “Scientists say each starling keeps an eye on six to nine of those flying nearest to them,” Jono Leadley, North Region Manager for The Wildlife Trust, tells the Harrrogate Advertiser. “If their neighbors move, then they follow, creating a wave without hitting each other. Everything about the experience, from the sound to the synchronized aerial dance, is a staggeringly beautiful spectacle.”
Robert E. Fuller: Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
h/t: [Laughing Squid]
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