Negev Desert, Israel - Starlings wintering
in Israel have been putting on a spectacular aerial dance
display over the Negev desert every morning for the past two
weeks.
The birds, which have come from Russia and eastern Europe,
form dark, shifting shapes known as murmurations as they swirl
through the skies of southern Israel.
A murmuration of migrating starlings fly in a group above a waste facility near the city of Rahat, southern Israel. Picture: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
A murmuration of migrating starlings fly in a group next to black kites near the city of Rahat, southern Israel. Picture: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
A murmuration of migrating starlings fly in a group next to black kites near the city of Rahat, southern Israel. Picture: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
By grouping together, Tel Aviv University ornithologist
Yossi Leshem told Reuters, the starlings find safety in numbers
and their swirling movements confuse predators.