Paolo Patrizi Photography Born in 1965
in Rome, Italy.
Lives in Tokyo, Japan.
Project Description
“European starlings in Rome”6x6 black and white film
Many thousands of the birds wheeling together through the sky above Rome at sunset prepare to roost together for the night, providing both breathtaking aerial displays and a public nuisance in the way of noise and bird droppings.
A starling flock like this is called a murmuration, a word that perfectly describes the rustle of thousands of pairs of wings. The coordinated evolutions of large flocks of starlings at dusk are one of the great wonders of nature. Flocks remain incredibly cohesive under the attack by predators, never leaving a bird isolated. Sturnus vulgaris, have graced the capital since the mid-1920s. Increasing their numbers steadily, at their peak of 5 million, they choose to nest in the eternal city over the winter months before returning north to mate in springtime.
The birds are beloved by tourists and reviled by locals. European starlings, individually small enough to fit in a hand, are collectively a menace. They swoop and defecate indiscriminately, showering the streets below with large amount of droppings that coat cobblestones, cars and the clothing of anyone imprudent enough to stand and gaze. They drive pedestrians from the pavements, cause accidents when the mess accumulates on the streets and more recently, forced an emergency landing of a Boeing 737 when a huge flock was sucked into the engines as it made its descent towards the airport in the city’s southeast. The abundance of starlings in Rome is partly the result of climate change as they used to go farther south before Roman winters warmed up. Though the birds have long flown from Northern Europe to Rome's warmer climate for the winter, they used to remain outside city limits, roosting in the countryside.
As Rome expanded after the end of World War II, starlings began to leave their natural habitats for the city, which offered warmer temperatures and fewer predators. By day, flocks continued to feast on olives and feed on insects in the countryside. By night, however, the birds began commuting to Rome to roost in its leafiest areas: the tree-lined avenues, parks and along the Tiber River in the city center. Residents and shopkeepers complain the flocks have taken over their neighborhoods and consumer-rights groups have called on the city council to investigate potential health risks posed by the birds. In an attempt to diminish the birds’ impact, the Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli (LIPU), backed by an annual budget of €150,000 is intervening in the areas of highest starling concentration by means of starling distress calls played over megaphones intended to frighten the flocks away into the countryside or the larger parks and protect Rome's centuries-old statues, fountains and buildings from their noxious droppings.
