‘Fluid, hypnotic’: Hundreds of migratory Daurian starlings perform mesmerising flight formation over Woodlands field

Daurian starlings perform mesmerising ‘murmuration’ flight pattern in Woodlands

A flock of migratory birds put on a mesmerising aerial display over Woodlands at the end of February, forming a dramatic murmuration that drew attention from birders and joggers in the area.

The spectacle was captured on video by nature enthusiast Serene Ong, who shared it in a Facebook post on Wednesday (4 March).

Source: Ong Serene on Facebook

Describing the sight, she identified the group as a “murmuration of Daurian starlings” and called their movements a “spectacular choreographed dance”.

“Murmuration — fluid, hypnotic, dramatic. Toggling between calm and chaos,” she wrote, describing their movements as a “slow swirling motion at one moment and sudden directional shift the next”.

Birds soar above field near Woodlands Ave 12

Ong told MS News that she recorded the video from a field near Woodlands Ave 12 next to KouFu Food Court.

The birds began gathering in small flocks around 7pm, gradually forming larger formations.

“My video was recorded at 7:13pm exactly,” she said.

Source: Ong Serene on Facebook

According to Ong, the display ended suddenly when the birds broke formation and flew to nearby trees to roost.

“The murmuration ends very abruptly as the Daurian starlings go to their respective trees to roost,” she told MS News.

Source: Ong Serene on Facebook

What a murmuration is, and why it’s special

A murmuration occurs when large flocks of birds move together in tightly coordinated patterns, often forming waves, spirals, or dense clusters in the sky.

This behaviour is most commonly seen among starling species such as the Daurian starling, a migratory bird that visits Singapore during the northern winter.

Scientists believe murmurations help birds protect themselves from predators and communicate within the flock, while also creating the mesmerising patterns that observers see from the ground.

Source: Ong Serene on Facebook

While Daurian starlings are common seasonal visitors to Singapore, large murmurations are not always easy to witness due to the country’s dense urban environment, Ong told Ms News.

“I feel happy to watch and capture the murmuration in such a wide, open, unobstructed space, especially here in land-scarce Singapore,” added Ong.

Rare open view compared to past sightings

Ong said the last time she saw a similar display was along Yishun Avenue 6 in Sept 2023.

However, that sighting was partially obstructed by surrounding housing blocks.

“This is the first time I saw it with a large number of Daurian starlings in an open space,” she said, noting that one moment in particular stood out to her.

“I also like the part where the flock tightens into a temporary ‘ball-like’ formation with maximum density which then quickly breaks apart and spread out again.”

Source: Ong Serene on Facebook

Several starling species spotted

Besides the Daurian starlings, Ong said other species may have been present in the flock.

She managed to photograph a Chestnut-cheeked starling roosting nearby, a species considered a vagrant in Singapore.

Other birders also reported spotting a Rosy starling, while Ong photographed a juvenile Asian glossy starling, which is a local resident species.

Source: Ong Serene on Facebook

According to Ong, only a few people — mostly birdwatchers and joggers — stopped to observe the spectacle.

Ong filmed the video using an iPhone 15, while her photographs were taken with a Sony RX10 IV camera.

She has since shared the sighting on her personal Facebook page as well as nature groups such as Singapore Wildlife Sightings, where birdwatchers often document notable observations around Singapore.

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