Starling Murmurations
Reflecting on the deeper meaning of natural phenomena
One February evening, I took my German Shepherd wingman for a run on the Interpretive trail at Wild Horse Pass on a nearby Indian Reservation. Towards the end of our run, we saw hundreds of black and iridescent purple birds with long, thin beaks. Some were flying in small groups, others were perched in barren winter tree branches. My mind shifted from this observation, back to finishing my run. I was enjoying the beauty of the environment and guiding my dog alongside me. During the last quarter-mile, we slowed to a walk and that is when it occurred; a murmuration. A murmuration is a huge flock of birds, hundreds, sometimes thousands, flying in unison, weaving hypnotic patterns in the sky. It is a mesmerizing and beautiful event. Being contemplative by nature, I thought about it the entire way home. What kind of birds do this? Why do they do it? How do they create these patterns without falling out of formation and colliding with one another? The spiritual side of me wanted to know what the spiritual message might be behind what I had witnessed.
Starlings, originating in Europe, are the only species of bird that fly in murmuration. The name murmuration comes from the sound their wings make as thousands of these birds fly together in unison. The reason that they do this has been theorized to center around the instinct that there is safety in numbers. The Starling’s number one predator has traditionally been the Peregrine Falcon. Because the Peregrine is a rather slow flyer, starlings are quite good at outmaneuvering them. Weaving patterns in the sky toward the day’s end is a means to avoid interception as it is hard to target one among many. The change in direction also makes honing in on a single bird more challenging. A further reason for these gatherings is to find warmth at night and to exchange information.
Studies of murmuration formations have shown that a single starling responds to seven of its closest neighbors. One researcher noted that this number seems to optimize the balance between the cohesion of the group and the effort of each individual bird; the power of 7 (Soren Solkaer, New York Times). It is notable that they maintain their murmuration connection in an environment characterized by uncertainty and the cacophony of information.
After my initial investigation of Starlings, I began thinking about the translatable, bigger-picture meaning and the purpose of the community. Communities function to create safe environments where we, as individuals, can experience life, pursuant to personal goals and philosophies. From the opposite end of the lens, we have an opportunity to contribute our personal talents and abilities to the community as a means of making the lives of others better. Sometimes one might feel restricted by the security of the community, but when they function effectively we are meant to feel trust, respect, and support from those around us and vice versa. Perhaps it takes participation to sense the greater than ‘self’ purpose of the community. Regardless, the ability to pursue what makes us thrive is no more important than our contribution to the complex fabric and uniqueness of the communities that allow this to occur for us in the first place.
In science, there is a concept known as “emergent properties”. What that means is the ‘whole’ has characteristics that the individual parts do not have alone. When starlings participate in a murmuration, they become a dynamic system that is different from what we see when a single bird perches on a branch, sings, or flies alone. This signals to me that what we do as a community is essential to the power of collective achievement. When a single starling, or even a group of 7 flies together, they cannot create the mesmerizing magic of a murmuration.
Ironically, my natural instinct is that of the lone wolf. Seeking to find my personal pace independent of others, to find value in myself without the need for external validation. Having taken an extended separation from group and partnership I have learned who I am as an individual, what my purpose is here, and what brings me peace and happiness. I believe we must first understand ourselves as individuals in order to effectively and powerfully connect with others on whatever path we are intended to walk in this life. Each individual person is an expression of the collective consciousness of humanity. We all have lessons that we are here to learn, but some lessons cannot be learned in solitude. What we embrace about ourselves, our special gifts, talents, and personal mission in this world will impact first our family and friends, such as the power of 7, into larger groups at work and social circles, reaching out into the community as a symbolic murmuration. This is only possible when we understand how important it is to be our personal best not only for ourselves but also for others. Humanity means taking on the definition of compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition.
An additional effort I made to understand the murmuration I saw that late winter day involved googling the spiritual meanings of this phenomenon. I was not surprised to see that, like my personal thoughts, a murmuration is emblematic of unity, that we are stronger together, and that cooperation is integral to success. It is also symbolic of intuition and change. This makes sense as one must use instinct and energetic sensitivity to know what is supposed to come next much like the starlings flying with hypnotic fluidity, sensing the change in direction.
I have learned that our world is full of patterns and metaphors. From geometric configurations created by nature in various forms to instinctual behaviors in the wild that reverberate analogously to the complexity of the human condition. There are opportunities to learn and be inspired if you take a moment to pause and consider how and why it can be expanding to your heart and mind.
A final note, as I was preparing to write, I revisited some of my original sources regarding starlings and found a new one that made me smile. It said that if starlings resonate with you, you are likely talented in communication and have a gift for stories. Well there you have it, I just wrote an entire article about my fascination with starlings. I believe this qualifies.