THOUSANDS of starlings came together to perform this mass aerial dance in north Herefordshire.

This stunning video, filmed by Chris Marsden in Brierley, near Leominster captures the incredible, fluid movement of the birds as they come together to perform this mesmerising and mystifying evening ritual.

It is not known precisely why starlings carry out these hypnotic performances, although many explanations abound.

Murmurations typically occur just before dusk during autumn and winter and can contain hundreds of thousands of birds.

The amazing video has been shared by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust who, alongside their counterparts up and down the country, are working to protect starlings and other birds and wildlife by working closely with farmers, landowners and developers to promote wildlife-friendly practices.

And the Trust's work is vital, with wildlife organisations warn that despite the incredible size of some flocks, the starling population has been in sharp decline in recent years, dropping by more than 80 percent.

They are now on the critical list of UK birds most at risk.

To find out more about what you can do to help or to learn more about the wildlife all around us, visit https://www.herefordshirewt.org/