A video showing a stunning murmuration of starlings has captivated viewers on TikTok.

The clip, shared by user Curtis Bicknell (@curtisbicknell), was posted on January 17 and has since received over 810,000 views.

The video showcases an extraordinary display of a massive flock of starlings gliding across the sky. A caption shared with the post reads: “Had to pull over on the way home to film this.”

The birds are shown moving in unison, forming dynamic, cloud-like shapes. In the background, cars can be seen passing on the roadside while onlookers pause to marvel at the display.

A murmuration, the collective noun for a group of starlings, is a phenomenon that has intrigued scientists and bird-watchers alike.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says that starlings gather in these large groups for protection against predators, warmth during the winter months, and as a way to exchange information.

“Murmurations can form enormous cloud-like shapes as starlings swoop and dive in clever patterns, avoiding any collisions in a way that once led scientists to believe starlings must have psychic powers,” the RSPB adds.

Starlings are year-round residents in the United Kingdom, but their numbers swell from November to February as flocks migrate from Scandinavia. During this period, the birds’ synchronized flight patterns can involve tens of thousands of individuals, moving together in what appears to be a choreographed dance, the RSPB notes.

The Natural History Museum in London, the U.K. capital, describes the behavior as a combination of simple rules. “Each starling matches their movements to the birds surrounding it. If one starling changes its flight direction or speed, the birds around it also change their flight direction or speed. This change spreads throughout the group and creates the patterns of the murmuration,” according to the museum.

Starlings are believed to fly at speeds of around 28 miles per hour, the museum says, with small variations in their speed and direction producing the swirling formations that leave onlookers in awe.

‘Mesmerizing’

In the TikTok comments, viewers expressed their amazement at the natural spectacle.

One user, @wanderer_will, wrote, “Murmurations are mesmerizing,” while @angiepangie585 posted: “Birds are incredible … we just don’t stop and take notice enough.”

Another commenter, @stephatea11, shared their emotional reaction, saying: “I came to say I would cry if I saw this in person. But I’m writing this and crying. Stunning.”

User @lindy_7787 commented, “Our wildlife is pure magic,” and BusyB🇬🇧 wrote: “I love watching starling murmurations. Something very hypnotic about them.”

Lindsay Baird Visser posted: “They way they collectively move as one. Consciously intertwined. Knowing exactly where each other are, moving as one …”

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.

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