Swarms: Why Starlings Move Like Liquid
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Swarms: Why Starlings Move Like Liquid
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Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. It’s time for Swarms.
In the kickoff to our Swarms Minisodes, Katy and Laura dive into one of nature’s most mesmerizing spectacles: the murmuration of starlings. These jaw-dropping bird formations swirl through the sky like smoke or liquid—but behind the beauty is a stunning system of rules, physics, and evolutionary strategy.
🐦 What exactly is a murmuration—and why do starlings do it?
🌪 How can thousands of birds turn on a dime with no leader?
🧠 What’s “scale-free correlation” and how does it keep the group alive?
🎭 And what does Shakespeare have to do with a Central Park starling invasion?
From predator evasion to 3D modeling, this minisode explores the science, chaos, and choreography behind one of nature’s most hypnotic behaviors.
👉 This is episode 1 of our Swarms series—six short episodes exploring how animals move together, from birds to bugs to bacteria.
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