Starlings

Thousands of ‘dancing’ starlings are causing power outages in a Scottish town

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Workers in a Scottish village have found the culprit behind a series of strange power outages: Thousands of birds. Masses of starlings have been jangling power lines in Airth, causing brief blackouts around sundown. An engineer with ScottishPower witnessed a colossal flock in a midair ‘dance’ before landing on the cables en masse. The tiny … Read more

That’s quackers! Thousands of swooping starlings form the shape of a DUCK in the sky 

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That’s quackers! Thousands of swooping starlings form the shape of a DUCK in the sky Hannah Farah, 31, captured the footage at an RSPB nature reserve in Castleford The midwife was with her father Pater Lau and children Sony, 9 and Kinza, 10 She said witnessing the birds was better than going to a fireworks … Read more

Murmuration of starlings form a festive shape in the skies above West Yorkshire 

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Stocking thriller! Murmuration of starlings form a festive shape in the skies above West Yorkshire The huge murmuration of starlings formed the shape of a Christmas stocking Photographer Ed Sykes captured the moment at RSPB Fairburn Ings, Castleford The starlings formed the festive picture perfectly before going to roost By Rachael Bunyan For Mailonline Published: … Read more

Starlings treated with low doses of FENTANYL produce songs like ‘free-form jazz’

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Birds given doses of the opioid-based fentanyl produce songs purely for pleasure that ‘sound like free-form jazz’ compared to birds not given the drug. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, found that when birds sing in flocks rather than for mating purposes it is ‘gregarious’ and gives them pleasure. Birds don’t just sing to … Read more