A murmuration of migrating starlings in Israel - in pictures

The formations are seen across the sky near the city of Beer Sheva in southern Israel

A murmuration of migrating starlings fly across the sky near the city of Beer Sheva, southern Israel, January 11, 2022. Picture taken with a drone on January 11, 2022. REUTERS / Amir Cohen

Groups of birds twist, turn and swirl in the sky.

Starlings fly in groups for many reasons, one is to protect them from predators, such as peregrine falcons.

They create beautiful cloud-like shapes as they fly.

Starlings can be seen every winter in Israel as they arrive from Europe.

A single flock, or murmuration, can contain more than a million individual starlings.

It is thought birds copy one another's aerobatic routines, allowing them to form impressive shapes in the sky.

The starlings will spend the winter in the Middle East before returning to Russia and eastern Europe in the spring.

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