in recent years
huge flocks of roosting birds have
become a common sight in many cities
but nowhere did they reach the numbers
seen in rome
here they have become a super swarm that
gets bigger
year on year
10 million starlings flock together to
create the most astonishing aerial
display in nature
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[Applause]
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these spectacular aerial displays are
seen between october and february
when birds pour into room from all over
northern europe
to create such perfect synchrony it was
once thought that the birds might use
telepathic communication but in reality
the birds react
13 times faster than any person
they turn an exact synchrony with their
nearest neighbors
but the tiniest delay in their reflexes
helped create these mesmeric waves in
the sky
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until recently the spectacle could only
be seen from the ground
now it’s possible to take cameras into
the swarms
and fly among them
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so
this aerial ballet acts as a beacon to
others still entering the city
smaller parties join the bigger flocks
increasing their numbers
as they swirl in the sky they
collectively make decisions on where
they should spend the night
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after an hour of pirouetting the birds
dive downwards having decided together
where they will roost
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birds are drawn to cities because they
are warmer than the surrounding
countryside
rome with its balmy mediterranean
climate is an especially popular
destination
but the city pays a heavy price for
hosting this incredible air show
each night ten million birds produce
seven tons of excrement
playing havoc with the paint work of
cars
as the birds settled down for the night
there was a constant rain falling below
slippery roads and pavements cause
accidents too
it’s a health and safety nightmare
but the starlings don’t have it all
their own way
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they may look like extras from a sci-fi
b-movie but these people really are
wearing their work
clothes
they are stalling busters hired to clear
the streets of this urban menace
their weapon of choice is a loudspeaker
it plays back a stalin’s alarm call
amplified 100 times
for these birds there is simply nothing
scarier this roost of a hundred thousand
starlings will have to up sticks
and find somewhere else to roost
bizarre experiment has been running for
the last 12 years
it certainly moves the starlings but
rome offers plenty of alternative
accommodation
and the number of winter visitors keeps
rising
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