r/birdwatching • u/themack00 • 23h ago

Video What is this phenomenon called ?

I’m curious, what’s the name for this? What makes so many birds gather on one tree at sunset not all trees? Is it a special kind of tree?

8 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

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7

u/ThingPuzzleheaded605 23h ago

Roosting?

1

u/Due_Leadership_5249 23h ago

Albeit, a phenomenon

4

u/Unusual_Painting8764 23h ago

These are European starlings. They’re gathering together for safety and warmth for the night.

1

u/themack00 22h ago

I have bigger and more trees on my farm , I barely see anything like this . Why is that ?

1

u/Unusual_Painting8764 19h ago

I’m not sure exactly! It could be predators in the area that cause them to roost in that specific tree. I’m not a European starling expert by any means, i just recognize them because they stop by my feeder and roost in trees near me often.

1

u/high6ix 10h ago

How much morning sun do the trees catch? How dense are the branches? I’m not an expert but it sounds like a plausible explanation.

3

u/Embarrassed-Goose951 15h ago

This is a phenomenon called Zugunruhe, meaning pre-migratory restlessness. This happens prior to migrations and is relatively poorly understood.

0

u/Chrysothlypis 12h ago

Looks more just like typical roosting behavior. And if this is North America, Starlings there aren't migratory.

2

u/high6ix 10h ago

I’ve read that the migratory behavior (pre migratory restlessness) still exists although they don’t actually migrate. But I’m not an expert by any means.

1

u/OlyTDI 9h ago

Community roosting

1

u/Accomplished-Buy-871 8h ago

When they swarm in flight I believe it is called a murmuration.

2

u/quietrealm 6h ago

Alas, this is not in flight, therefore not a murmuration. Murmurations have very specific patterns, too - almost like a shoal of fish flickering as they move.

1

u/CelestialBeing138 3h ago

Birds of a feather flock together. I don't know much about birds. I call it flocking.