Starlings swoop on city - 11th February 2022

This is the annual migration of millions of starlings from northern Europe to Italy's more temperate climate.

The flocks' synchronised ballets, called murmurations, entrance passers-by such as Eva Osuna, who's on a visit from Spain.

Eva Osuna: "It's beautiful, it's very beautiful. It's the first time I've seen it. I had heard about it, but it's the first time I've seen it."

As mesmerising as the avian aerial acrobatics are to witness, the birds' sojourn isn't entirely without contention since the starlings create mass dormitories in tree branches, leaving vast quantities of droppings on walkways, giving off an unsavoury stench.

It's not an abnormal sight to witness local residents in leafy avenues going about their daily business sporting an umbrella – in an effort to avoid unwelcome avian deposits.

The local council's enlisted environmental organisations such as Fauna Urbis to combat this problem, deploying alarms emitted through megaphones, as well as lights, to disperse the massive flocks. Valentina De Tommaso is a member of the taskforce.

Valentina De Tommaso: "We act on their fear reflex, by using their own alarm call so that they move to less populated places. Because their presence on the trees makes cars dirty, the ground dirty, disturbs passers-by, not to mention the noise that they make."

The alarms the teams carry mimic starlings' own in-flock panic cry, and so the beauty of this method is that it's harmless, whilst also alerting the birds to possible hidden threats.

The team's work is cut out for them, since this year the starling community's said to have reached one million in the metropolis alone. Meanwhile, the birds' overwintering habits generate much debate amongst those dwelling nearby, like Francesco Fusco.

Francesco Fusco: "Walking under a tree where there are starlings is not ideal, and it can cause problems. But indeed, if the city is a reference point for these birds, because it is a stop on their migration route, then they have the right to stop here."