Murmurations are densely-packed flocks of tiny songbirds called starlings. Thousands of the birds can exist in a single murmuration, and they fly so close to one another that they form what looks like a fast-moving storm cloud in the sky.
Worthy of note, there are more than 120 known starling species. A single murmuration can have any mix of those 120 species, but they all interact with one another in the same way with flawless precision to form these incredible displays.
Murmurations have captivated some of the best minds in science and engineering, but no one has a perfect explanation concerning how these birds can fly this close to one another without colliding.
One theory is that each bird pays close enough attention to its neighbor in the sky that it can move in perfect rhythm. On the other hand, murmurations move in unpredictable ways, so it seems like a far-fetched idea.
Further research may help answer the ongoing questions regarding murmurations.
