Autumn Murmurs

On my way down to the Lockwood Produce Exchange on a fall evening, I watched in wonder as thousands of starlings gathered. Like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, they swooped and swirled in tight knit symmetry to produce fantastic moving shapes in the air. Where did they all come from? And how do they manage to fly so close together without colliding?

 

Murmuration is the phenomenon in which massive flocks of birds fly synchronously to form intricate configurations in the sky. The murmuring sound made by thousands of wings flapping in unison is, in fact, the origin of the word murmuration.

 

Despite outward appearance, there is no leader in a murmuration. Instead, each individual watches six or seven of their closest neighbors. Rather than depending on one bird next to them, they follow all the birds in their vicinity. This makes it possible to complete intricate turns, rippling through the flock like a wave. But why do they do it?

 

Anchovies and small schooling fishes use a similar technique to protect themselves from predators. It's harder for the hunter to target one individual among a swirling mass of thousands. Some shorebirds murmurate reaching speeds of 40 mph. In our local valleys, starlings are the most likely bird to flock this way.

 

The European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a stocky black bird with a short tail, triangular wings, and a long pointed beak. Strong fliers, they have been clocked at speeds up to 48 mph. All the European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the Nineteenth century. Enthusiastic readers of Shakespeare imported the birds. Their goal: to bring all the birds mentioned in his writings to the New World.

 

Some would not applaud the introduction of starlings to America. Many have a love/hate relationship with the species. On the one hand, they can be a great natural control of insect pests. They're not so welcome when they decimate fruit trees or sprouting crops.

 

As the weather cools, watch out for murmurating starlings above the vineyards or anywhere stray seeds or feed might be found. They often appear in the late evening as they prepare to roost for the night. If you see a flock murmurating, and find yourself wondering why, scan the horizon for a red-tailed hawk.