Help needed to solve mystery of starling murmurations

Starling murmurations are described as some of the "most amazing spectacles" to witness and they happen just before the birds go down to roost - but the reason why they do it is still uncertain.

A decade on from a study into the behaviour, researchers at University of Gloucestershire are repeating the research and inviting the public to take part in a new, nationwide study.

Lead researcher Prof Anne Goodenough said they were interested in seeing what had "changed in the past decade, particularly because starlings are a declining species".

Information on where and when displays occur, the size and duration and whether birds of prey are present, is what researchers are looking to gather.

The original study found there was an average of 30,000 birds in a murmuration, while some of the larger ones had more than 750,000 birds, with sightings from 23 countries.

One of the central mysteries surrounding murmurations is why starlings gather in such enormous, tightly coordinated flocks before going to roost.

The research from 10 years ago backed the idea that murmurations are primarily to protect them against predators such as peregrine falcons and sparrowhawks.

"The only way that we can complete this research is by everybody submitting records as and when they see them," said Goodenough.

Due to "habitat change" there had been a "decrease in the population over the last 10 years and we're interested to see what and how that might have affected starling murmuration behaviour", she added.

For the new study, members of the public are invited to report murmurations they see during the autumn and winter through an online survey.

Prof Adam Hart, co-author of the original study, said "the great thing about this project is that almost anyone can contribute".

"Simple observations from thousands of people can tell us more about this remarkable behaviour," they added.

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