Blackpool, LancashiBlackpool, Lancashire, UK Weather. 3rd Dec, 2016. Sunset and Starlings over North Pier. Ever larger groups of birds are gathering at the roost site after several days of cold weather. The flocks have been swelled exponentially by the addition of migrant birds from Scandinavia. Grouping together offers safety in numbers – predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands. Credit: Mediaworld Images/Alamy Live News
A murmuration of starlings is an amazing sight - a swooping mass of thousands of birds whirling in the sky above your head. What's going on? It's basically a mass aerial stunt - thousands of birds all swooping and diving in unison. It's completely breathtaking to witness. We think that starlings do it for many reasons. Grouping together offers safety in numbers – predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands. They also gather to keep warm at night and to exchange information, such as good feeding areas. They gather over their roosting site, and perform their wheeling stunts before they roost for the night.
Size: 3600px × 2400px
Location: Blackpool, Lancashire, UK
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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