Large flock of birds Thousands of starlings circle above the rooftops of Bonn's Südstadt district

Bonn · A large flock of birds is currently attracting the attention of many walkers and residents of Bonn's Südstadt. Thousands of starlings are circling above the roofs around the Ermekeil barracks. What's behind it.

 A large flock of birds regularly circles over Südstadt shortly before sunset.

A large flock of birds regularly circles over Südstadt shortly before sunset.

Foto: Sabrina Szameitat

They circle in the sky, form a large flock and fly over the roofs around the Ermekeil barracks near the Bonner Talweg: thousands of starlings are currently performing their flight manoeuvres in the southern part of Bonn. Anyone walking through the streets shortly before sunset can spot the large flock of birds in the sky. Again and again, walkers stop and pull out their mobile phones to capture the game.

"The phenomenon is not that unusual," says ornithologist Darius Stiels from the Bonn Ornithological Working Group. First and foremost, starlings form such formations to protect themselves from predators such as sparrowhawks or peregrine falcons. In a group, they are less likely to be attacked by birds of prey. During the day, starlings are out and about looking for food and usually return to their roost in the evening.  

"This can be trees or even ivy facades," Stiels explains further. "They look for climatically favourable areas, such as city centres." There it is often warmer and more sheltered from the wind. They fly from eastern and north-eastern Europe to spend the winter here. Starlings from the region, in turn, head south in winter to return in spring. "The birds take turns, so to speak," says the ornithologist.

Millions of starlings in Rome

By the end of February or March, the roosts are likely to have disappeared again. According to the expert, the largest roosts of the birds can be observed in Rome: Several million starlings make their rounds in the Italian capital during the winter. The European breeding population of the bird has declined overall, partly due to the intensification of agriculture. (Original text: Sabrina Szameitat / Translation: Mareike Graepel)

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