See how thousands of starlings produce a coordinated murmuration without a single bird directing the flock. Local responses, visual cues and predator pressure help explain the moving patterns overhead. Inside this episode: - Before the roost - The predator in the sky - No leader at the front - Who counts as a neighbor - The dark waves Sources include PLOS One, citizen science and starling murmurations, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, collective escape, and Empirical study of naturally occurring starling flocks. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow Birds Beyon ...