No, a “murmuration” is not the sound a baby makes when it dreams about fluffy kittens. A murmuration is a shape-shifting cloud created by a large number of birds engaging in flock behaviour. And it is one of the most spectacular sights you can witness in nature.
Starlings are famous for their murmurations. In fact, earlier this month we posted an epic starling murmuration.
But starlings are not the only ones who can murmurate, as this video taken from a shoreline estuary on Port Susan Bay, Washington, shows. The stars of this video are called dunlins, a common shorebird found around the world.
In terms of plumage, dunlins are unremarkable, coloured a drab grey with a brownish head. But their white underwings create beautiful rippling flashes when they fly together in formation.
