Murmuration

I learned a new word today: murmuration. 

It sounds like a word describing a sound, and in a sense, it is.  When huge numbers of starlings gather in flight to form rocking tidal waves in the air – twisting, turning, spiraling, thousands upon thousands all in sync – it is call murmuration.  I wonder if the murmur of their collective wings seems more like the roar of a tornado?

Evidently this flight pattern is a strategy for protection against predators.  The birds fly together in tightly packed unison to discourage attack, and yet if one diverges even a tiny bit the others must also adjust.  This explains their beautifully stunning choreography.

There are a number of interesting videos online of flocks demonstrating murmuration, but I’m including one here that a friend posted on Facebook – it was my introduction to the topic.  In this video, two girls are canoeing in Ireland when they’re surprised by a grand murmuration show; they just happened to be prepared to capture it with a camera.  The following link to the video is worth two minutes of your time!

http://vimeo.com/31158841