A German photographer took pictures of birds in the sky, and only upon checking the images did he notice that thousands of starlings in the sky have formed the shape of one giant bird.
This phenomenon of flocking together, as if they were one organism, into one-shape shifting cloud is called a murmuration. It is said that birds do this to ward off threats, to make sure predators do not approach them. Their strategy simply is in strength in numbers. Researchers found that each bird interacts with seven other birds, and this is how they manage to coordinate with each other as one giant unit. They don’t know why the magic number is seven though. They were only able to observe but not explain. Starlings forming these murmurations is one of the most amazing phenomenon observed in the wild. Unfortunately, starling populations and bird populations in general have been dwindling, because of shortage in food and nesting places caused by destructive human actions. And for now, even though we cannot completely understand nature, we can appreciate its wonder and beauty, and we can learn from it too. We can certainly do our part in preserving our environment, making sure our fellow Earthlings have a safe space to dwell and have enough to eat, and one of the most efficient ways we can contribute to that is by looking at our lifestyle choices and going plant-based. The less resources we use— land, forests, trees, water etc— the more that can be left for other animals, including the birds.
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