Starlings put on aerial dance over Israeli desert

Starlings wintering in Israel have been putting on a spectacular aerial dance display over the Negev desert every morning for the past two weeks.

The birds, which have come from Russia and eastern Europe, form dark, shifting shapes known as murmurations as they swirl through the skies of southern Israel.

By grouping together, Tel Aviv University ornithologist Yossi Leshem told Reuters, the starlings find safety in numbers and their swirling movements confuse predators.

A murmuration of migrating starlings fly in a group above a waste facility near the city of Rahat, southern Israel on 31 December 2018.

A murmuration of migrating starlings fly in a group near the city of Rahat, southern Israel on 1 January 2018.

A murmuration of migrating starlings fly above trees near the city of Rahat, southern Israel on 25 December 2018.