Starling murmuration, slo-mo - 4K stock video

High-speed footage of a murmuration of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) flying over a reedbed at sunset. The birds form this huge flock as protection from predators just before they settle down to roost for the night. The twisting flock confuses predatory birds such as sparrowhawks, and provides safety in numbers for individual birds. As it gets too dark for the predators to hunt, the starlings fly down and settle in the reedbeds, huddling together for warmth. The reedbeds provide protection from ground-based predators such as foxes, and provide warmth and shelter from the wind. The largest murmurations are seen in the colder months. Large murmurations can contain several million birds. Filmed at 120 frames per second in Somerset, UK, on a February evening