Hypnotic flocks baffle predators

BIRDS of a feather flock together, as anyone who has seen a dazzling gathering of starlings in the sky will know.

But why the birds congregate in vast numbers called murmurations has long been one of nature’s mysteries.

It had been suspected it might help protect the birds from attack in some way. Now experts have shown that the hypnotic displays confuse would-be predators such as hawks.

To test their theory, scientists from the universities of Bristol and Groningen, in the Netherlands, used a computer simulation to create a swirling mass of up to 5 000 starlings. A researcher acting as a predatory hawk then tried to select an individual starling to attack – a task made exceptionally difficult by the so-called confusion effect produced by the flock.

Benedict Hogan, a PhD student at Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, said: “In line with the predictions of the confusion effect, participants had more difficulty in capturing a target starling in larger flocks, and in denser flocks.

“However, it is likely that predator confusion is only one of many functions of these impressive groups in starlings.”

A large flock may also mean more birds can look out for predators, providing a better warning system for evasive action. – Daily Mail