Expert Response 2 + –
An inhabitant of Krasnodar Territory captured a 'cloud of starlings' on video. Dozens of birds formed a real moving cloud, which moved smoothly across the sky. Scientists call this phenomenon the murmur (from the Latin murmuratio “ mumble, buzz ''). AiF.ru has discovered by an expert why birds organize such “aerial dances”.
Photo: Shutterstock.com
How many & Birds can a whisper combine and what is it?
Murmur & mdash; this is a poorly understood process that can only be observed in certain species of birds in flight. In addition to the starlings, in Africa, the weavers (a family of the passereau detachment. – Editor's note), who herds millions, organize murmurs, says candidate of biological sciences, ornithologist, principal researcher at the Zoological Museum of University Moscow State. M.V. Lomonosov Evgeny Koblik … So, during the murmur, a flock can gather from one hundred to one million birds and move in the sky in complex shapes.
“ Imagine thousands of birds simultaneously changing direction of flight. Amazing figures appear in the air, made up of thousands of dots. Now they are gathered in a kind of balls, and then they are pulled out by ribbons. In addition, in the same flock some birds can fly, while the other – & mdash; continue to fly horizontally. It & # 39; s a fascinating spectacle & # 39; & # 39 ;, & mdash; rated by expert.
Usually birds show such acrobatics at sunset. Their movement across the sky somewhat resembles the movement of schools of fish underwater, which also show intricate, synchronized shapes.
Why do birds do this?
There are two explanations for this phenomenon. According to the first version, the whisper & mdash; it is the process of teaching young birds to fly.
“ It is assumed that this is how adult starlings teach young birds to fly. But the synchronicity with which they do it doesn't allow us to accept this version to the end. Inexperienced birds would be eliminated from the flock. And here it is evident that the birds are interconnected by invisible biofields and biocurrents, so everything is synchronous. Teaching young people does not work that way. And why, then, don't other species of birds teach young people to fly in this way? & mdash; Koblik pointed out.
The second version, according to the scientist-ornithologist, is more plausible & mdash; the birds are trying to protect themselves.
“Whisper” is a kind of protection from predators. When the herd suddenly begins to change direction, the feathered predators (hawks or hawks), which chase the starlings, lose their orientation and do not know who to catch. But there are also questions here. When schools of fish in the water also change direction, the same dolphins or sharks calmly snatch the fish from the school ',' & mdash; explains the expert.
However, Evgeny Koblik has his own version of the whisper. According to the scientist, “the air dances” about 1.5 & mdash; He managed to see 2,000 starlings in January 2014 in Israel. For half an hour, a Russian ornithologist observed the birds. As a result, he felt like they were just playing.
“We underestimate some birds and animals. It seems to us that they just do what they sleep, looking for food and marriage partners. They have no more actions and emotions. In fact, many very intelligent animals with well-developed brains enjoy ordinary games. Just watch our crows, the otter games, who don't spend so much time hunting. The rest of the time they have fun with each other. Maybe there isn't a utility sense in whispering: increasing flight speed, reaction speed, or something else. It's just a part of the game and it's no stranger to birds. It seems to me that they enjoy such flights. There is even such a scientific term for animals & mdash; comfortable behavior. I think speaking of whispering, we are dealing with elements of comfortable behavior ',' & mdash; thinks Evgeny Koblik.
Is it true that starlings sing while whispering?
No, that's not true. During the whispering period, the starlings communicate with each other with short gas calls. They usually sing in the evening, when they sit on branches before spending the night, the expert summed up.
