Secret found of starlings’ aerial display
SCIENTISTS think they’ve solved why huge flocks of starlings perform aerial ballets in the evening sky.
Experts found starlings formed larger and longer lasting displays when birds of prey buzzed the flock.
Peregrine falcons and sparrowhawks, which can catch prey on the wing, sparked the most response.
Scientists were keen to understand how the murmuration helps starlings survive, as UK numbers have fallen up to 80% since the 1960s.
Some 3,000 worldwide observations were used in the study, led by Prof Anne Goodenough of Gloucestershire University.
She said: “It appears murmuration has become the norm, but when a predator poses a threat this ramps it up a notch.”