Common Starling: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Birds of Europe · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. On winter evenings in the UK, flocks of five thousand to fifty thousand starlings swirl in the sky. These are called murmurations.
2. A swirling flock seems to have no leader. Each bird simply matches the speed and direction of its nearest neighbours.
3. Starlings mix copied sounds into their song, from other birds to human-made noises. One wild starling copied a sound after hearing it once.
4. The composer Mozart kept a pet starling that could sing part of one of his piano concertos.
5. A single male decorates his nest with flowers and fresh greens. Herbs such as yarrow seem to help, as females like their smell.

The quiz

1. What is a huge swirling flock of starlings called?

• A parliament
• A murmuration (correct)
• A chorus
• A cloudburst

These winter flocks are commonly called murmurations.

2. Who leads a swirling starling flock?

• The oldest bird
• The biggest male
• No one: each bird follows its neighbours (correct)
• A female at the front

Each starling changes course by watching its closest neighbours.

3. How many times did one wild starling need to hear a sound to copy it?

• At least ten times
• Every day for a month
• It never copies sounds
• Only once (correct)

A wild starling was seen copying a sound it had heard only once.

4. Which composer had a pet starling that sang part of his music?

• Mozart (correct)
• Beethoven
• Bach
• Chopin

Mozart's pet starling sang a passage from one of his own piano concertos.

5. What does a single male starling decorate his nest with?

• Shiny pebbles
• Snail shells
• Flowers and fresh green plants (correct)
• Bits of plastic

He adds flowers and fresh greens, and herbs seem to attract females.

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