A photo from open sources
Murmuration – a starling dance can be observed, for example, near Bedouin city of Rahat in Israel. Another name is Cloud Dance – this natural phenomenon is also not given by chance, since it actually looks like shimmering waves in the clouds.
Scientists have determined that the speed of birds at this time reaches forty to fifty kilometers per hour. However, it’s not even amazing, but synchronized movements of thousands of starlings that are fast, not for a second not “stuck in static”, form bizarre figures, with this without colliding with each other, as if someone is conducting this “bird orchestra”.
Such dances of starlings are also called murmuration. For scientists remains a mystery why birds need it. Explanation that so starlings scare away predators, not very convincingly, but There are no other hypotheses yet. There are attempts to explain synchronism as well. movements of birds in such a dance, but they seem to be attracted by ears …
They say that from the nineties of the last century, starlings ceased fly to Israel, however in 2012 they reappeared here, and their murmurings resumed. The most beautiful starlit dancers in the sky dusk. Before going to bed, they gather in huge flocks, arranging continuous transfusion of “bird clouds” for many minutes (sometimes up to half an hour).
But it cannot be said that the dance of clouds can only be observed in Israel, this phenomenon is inherent, for example, in Crimea. The same Sevastopol witnesses “invasion of starlings” almost every year (when a rich harvest of sophora is issued). True huge clouds of birds bring the townspeople not only an amazing sight murmurations, but also completely fouled asphalt. Starlings literally the trees of Sophora are clinging, plucking her numerous berries, and then, naturally, emptying directly onto roads, sidewalks and even the heads of passers-by.
Nevertheless, Sevastopol residents are not offended by birds for this, since the spectacle of flying huge clouds of starlings is actually stunning and surprises: birds can be forgiven for such fantastic dances a small disgrace in which, in fact, they are not even to blame – nature…
Israel Birds
