With the arrival of cold weather, features emerge flocks of starlings illuminating the Spanish skies. Forming undulating, dynamic clouds with harmonious movement, these large clusters of birds behave as if they were one organism. Anyone who sees them cannot help but be fascinated. But why are they behaving like this? It’s not whimsical, it’s a survival strategy.
Starlings are birds that live in forests, farmland, tree crops, parks, gardens and urban centers; I mean, pretty much everywhere. In fact, they are found almost throughout the Iberian Peninsula.
There are two different species in Spain.: black starling (Sturnus monochrome) and European starling (vagrant vulgaris). The first lives on the Peninsula throughout the year, while the second winters.
As José María de la Peña of the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/BirdLife) explains, the two very gregarious species form large flocks during the winter months when food is scarce.
In those big starling clouds maybe up to tens of thousands of birds flying simultaneously and in perfect syncas if it were a gigantic air ballet.
Also, in many cases, these clusters include both mottled and black starlings (the first is light mottled, the second is completely dark).
“In addition to making foraging less boring, The stripes serve the starlings to avoid or mislead possible predators roaming the area.. And since there are thousands of eyes waiting for any intruder, it is much easier to detect any threat,” says De la Peña.
Predators have a very difficult time catching a starling in these conditions because the formations they fly do not follow a fixed direction, they make careful turns, change direction, burrow from one side to the other and reunite unexpectedly. . This is how they manage to surprise the huntedr even if they are fast hawks because they can’t concentrate on a particular bird.
De la Peña adds that this is a strategy very similar to that followed by shoals of fish in the sea.
These large flocks form only during the winter months, when starlings do not have to care for their chicks and can spend more time on their own survival.
But How do they manage to keep these formations together despite moving so fast?? The same ornithologist gives us the answer: One of the factors these birds use is communication during flight. Starlings fly by making a lot of noise, thus informing other members of the herd about their position. This is the way they should avoid colliding with or blocking each other.
Another mechanism they use for coordination is light and dark. “During group flight, they always tend to follow the dark silhouettes of their mates and avoid open areas where they see the light. This is what creates these rapid movements and allows for sudden changes of direction,” he adds.
However, they do not always fly this way because there must be sufficient number of starlings for a group with these characteristics to form. These flocks will be easier to spot in the right habitats and near their nests.
You can see how these flocks fly in this video.
Regarding the conservation situation in Spain, Neither one nor the other species poses any threat.According to SEO, and even in our country, their population is increasing. Their ability to adapt to almost any habitat makes them particularly versatile and immune to influences that threaten many other species.
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Contact address of the environment department: crizclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
James Sean is a writer for “Social Bites”. He covers a wide range of topics, bringing the latest news and developments to his readers. With a keen sense of what’s important and a passion for writing, James delivers unique and insightful articles that keep his readers informed and engaged.