Although the Common Starling is an introduced pest in Australia, it has at least one redeeming feature: when starlings mass into enormous flocks known as murmurations, usually just before roosting, the aerobatic displays they perform are absolutely spectacular. The flock is so well co-ordinated that it looks and behaves like a single being, twisting and swirling and swooping in the sky, constantly changing its shape. Starlings in these flocks remain silent, but at roost a few minutes later, their calls can be deafening.
