From gathering for warmth to exchanging information, there are many theories about why starlings flock together in such large numbers. Luckily, a few murmurations have been caught on video. Why do starling 'murmurations' happen? Individually, a European starling is little more than a common blackbird. You can search online for “ murmuration " videos to see for yourself how incredible these large flocks of birds can be. However it is widely believed that the main reason is safety in numbers. Each starling in a flock is connected to every other. During the winter months starlings gather in the UK from the continent seeking the (slightly) warmer temperatures. The RSPB say this can be as early as September in some places, and as late as the end of November elsewhere, with more birds joining the nightly displays during this time. Why do starlings 'dance' in the sky? As they fly, the starlings in a murmuration seem to be connected together. We think that starlings do it for many reasons. The mystery behind the movements of flocking starlings could be explained by the areas of light and dark created as they fly, new research suggests. As they fly, the starlings in a murmuration seem to be connected together. Why do starlings form murmurations? Birds are difficult to talk to, so no one really knows for sure, we can only have educated guesses. It is much more difficult for a predator to pick out one bird in a large flock than one would think. We think that starlings do it for many reasons. He (or she) often becomes confused. It has been noted that if one bird within the flock panics and veers off away from the flock, the predator often chases down that one bird without too much trouble. At the individual level, the rules guiding this are relatively simple. Flocks arrive from all directions as dusk draws near to form murmurations containing thousands of birds. When a flock turns in unison, it's a phase transition . Grouping together offers safety in numbers – predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands. The murmurations usually start again around November, after the birds have all returned from their breeding sites and begun to gather as a flock again, but can sometimes be seen from as early as September. You can search online for “ murmuration " videos to see for yourself how incredible these large flocks of birds can be. Grouping together offers safety in numbers – predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands. "The birds may also flock as a way to find food in the winter, sort of a cooperative effort, but that is speculative," he said. Luckily, a few murmurations have been caught on video. That's it. It is much harder for predators to pick out just one bird from the massive swirling flock as prey. 10 Nov 2014 10 Nov 2014 It's a spectacular sight - thousands of starling birds flying together to create mesmerising patterns called 'murmurations'. During the winter months, large numbers of starlings visit Britain from the continent, seeking out the relative warmth of our island climate. You've seen them. Starlings are short and thick, with dark feathers and long, pointy bills. To enjoy the CBBC Newsround website at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on. Numbers usually swell in December/January as migrant birds join … They're practically everywhere, more than 200 million are in North America alone, singing their chirpy little songs and becoming, to many backyard growers and full-time farmers, a bit on the pesty side. They start forming in November and can often be seen through to late January/early February. Starling murmurations happen when the birds start to roost. Last updated at 06:56. 10 Nov 2014 10 November 2014. Protection from predators is one reason put forward for the formation of murmurations. Why do starlings form murmurations? The research, conducted by the University of Warwick and published in the journal PNAS , found that flocking starlings aim to maintain an optimum density at which they can gather data on their surroundings.