Nature always finds extraordinary ways to amaze us. Starling murmuration is one of them.

In the video above, shot in England, thousands of starlings are seen swooping and whirling in formation. They appear to be creating synchronised patterns in the sky as they fly around in different directions.

Experts say that starlings fly this way for a number of reasons. They often group together in vast numbers for safety from predators, for instance, and the large numbers attract other starlings for roosting or feeding purposes.

No matter what the utilitarian reasons are, however, the breathtaking shapes they form – which look straight out of a science-fiction film – are practically an art form of their own.