ROME'S BIRDS


For Romans the birds along the Tiber are an annual plague. Droppings from migrating starlings make the pavements slippery and hide cars under a disgusting crust of guano. In autumn and spring, starlings en route to and from Africa can be seen all over Italy. Just before dusk when the light fades enormous bird clouds perform enticing dances to black out the sun. But people in the big cities find it hard to see the beauty, when large flocks of starlings commute back and forth between their nests in the cities and work in the country in view of the mess the birds leave behind. According to the Italian Ornithological Association (LIPU) starlings are most common bird in Italy in winter, and in autumn they have been counted to make up two-thirds of the feathered population, followed by wild ducks and finches. Starlings breed in Northern Europe in the summer and return to the countries around the Mediterranean Sea in the winter months. The migratory birds prefer to nest in town due to the urban heat and good accommodation in parks and street trees. By day, they commute to the countryside to find food in vineyards and olive groves. In March and April the starlings return to countries with a cooler climate, but their five-month stay in Italy is not without problems. The noise along tree-lined promenades can be unbearable, some neighbourhoods in Rome and Naples experience a dangerous mess of bird droppings, and large flocks of birds regularly disrupt traffic and cause accidents. For instance, the combination of bird droppings with rain makes Rome's cobblestoned streets extremely slippery for the two-wheel drivers. In fact the Romans are so fed up with the birds that they try to scare them away with CDs playing load starlings-alarm signals and the installation of powerful searchlights in the trees. Still, it scare tactics do not seem to have any major effect in the long term. Apparently, Italian city-dwellers will have to live with a teeming population of birds along the Tiber during winter, but they may find comfort in the impressive sight of large flocks of starlings flying in formation above country roads. Small scale black suna phenomena can be observed both in the morning and the evening, as birds and humans tend to commune simultaneously between home and work.

Starlings are the most famous birds in Rome
See below to learn how Rome has started to address the problem-

Romans are using artificial bird calls to put an end to this beautiful starling murmuration above the Eternal City. Every winter, the skies over Italy's capital are filled with the mesmerising sight of thousands of starlings swooping and diving in unison. But when they stop to rest on treetops, their droppings coat pavements and cars below - prompting the city authorities to scare them away. "We act on their fear by using their own alarm call," says Marianna Di Santo, a member of the Fauna Urbis task force. Clad head-to-toe in white protective clothing, she waves a speaker emitting a series of sharp cries, emulating the natural alarm call of the birds. As she heads towards Roma Termini central train station, thousands of birds shoot up from their roosting spots and spiral into the sky. Between October and February every year, millions of starlings migrate from northern Europe to Italy in search of warmer temperatures for the winter. Their synchronised ballets - or murmurations, as they are more commonly known - send twisting shadows over the Eternal City's churches, palaces and ruins. "I've never seen such a thing in my life. It's spectacular," says Eva Osuna, a Spanish tourist taking out her phone to capture the magic. The glossy dark-feathered birds, which measure up to 20 centimetres in length, spend their days feeding in rural areas before heading back into town to sleep. "In the city, the temperatures are higher and the light helps them find their way around and protects them from predators," explains ornithologist Francesca Manzia. Warmer temperatures in northern Europe caused by climate change have shortened the starlings' stay in Italy, but their sheer numbers make them a force to be reckoned with. Over one million are believed to be in Rome this year, according to experts. Naturally "gregarious", they stick together at night, creating collective dormitories in the trees. "They do not carry disease," insists Manzia. "But because of their droppings, they make the roads slippery and smell very strong."

Even on a clear day, it is not uncommon to see Romans walking along tree-lined streets with umbrellas as protection against the birds. City authorities use sounds and lights to divide the animals into smaller, more manageable groups. Audio transmissions are "the most simple and effective" way of moving the birds on, says Valentina de Tommaso from Fauna Urbis. She works two or three times a week near Termini, which with its wide roof offers “a comfortable place for the birds to rest." "We play recordings for about ten minutes, with breaks in between so they do not get used to the noise," she says. The piercing noise draws a small crowd - some of them approving, others less so. "They pose lots of problems. Walking around under flocks of starlings is not really ideal," says Francesco Fusco, a 55-year-old engineer. "But 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!"