Postmortem examinations of the birds concluded that they had likely died from impacting the ground while evading a predator. Flocking is a paradigmatic case of self-organized collective behavior in biology and a living example of active matter. A Similar Incident in the UK in 2019Ī similar incident occurred in December 2019 in the UK when roughly 225 starlings were discovered dead on a back road. Flock of birds that fly in 'V' formations may be doing so to conserve energy.

Flocking can increase the possibility of finding food and protecting each other from trouble and predators. Such proposed functions include protection against predators, the sharing of. The many theories proposed to explain aerial flocking are probably not mutually exclusive. The precise function of these flocks has been the topic of much debate.

Experts believe flocks increase the odds of survival and safety. Birds often fly in aggregations and formations, sometimes gathering in vast and impressive numbers. “You can see that they act like a wave at the beginning, as if they are being flushed from above.”Įxperts also say that because flocking birds may follow the flight patterns of nearby birds instead of being aware of the landscape around them, tightly packed flocks may sometimes risk colliding with structures or even the ground. Birds form clusters of organized groups, called flight flocks, for a reason. “This looks like a raptor like a peregrine or hawk has been chasing a flock, like they do with murmurating starlings, and they have crashed as the flock was forced low,” Broughton says. Richard Broughton of the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, tells the Guardian that he is 99% sure the flock was trying to escape a predatory bird and had been chased into the ground.

Bird flocks