The Beauty of Anarchy: Murmurations as a Collective Response to Uncertainty

The paper explores murmurations formed by European starlings ( Sturnus vulgaris ) from the perspective of Peter Kropotkin's concept of mutual aid. Given that there is no consensus on why exactly starlings murmurate, the paper focuses on how they do it. Exploring fundamental principles shaping starlings' collective agency – synchronicity, regularity, horizontality, fairness and numerosity – the paper speculates on what these species can teach us about kinship and interpersonal attunement in times of uncertainty. Drawing upon Kropotkin's idea that cooperation is essential for species' survival, the article analyses murmurations as highly decentralised networks operating without the leader, enabling a more effective response to danger under precarious conditions. Offering a concept of trained togetherness as a premise of effective community care, the paper emphasises the importance of collective action as prefiguration of postcapitalist society and multispecies thriving.