BRIGHTON'S stunning starling murmurations have left visitors spellbound time and time again.

Hundreds of birds moving in sync in a mass swarm with accuracy the Red Arrows would envy, creating a writhing black cloud of movement in the sky above the city's pier.

But, it has not gone unnoticed that the birds appear to have picked up a new habit in 2021.

Several photographers have noted that recent murmurations have had rather unfortunate resemblances.

Brett Mendoza snapped one shot above Brighton Palace Pier on January 3, but looking back at the photo he noticed something strange.

The murmuration rather resembled a phallus.

And this is not the only time this has happened.

Another Twitter user shared a similar image on the social media site two days later.

And the light-hearted sight at the start of a third national lockdown appears to have proven popular, with the man who posted the picture saying it had been trending on social news site Reddit that day.

Starling murmurations are "a mass aerial stunt - thousands of birds all swooping and diving in unison", according to the RSPB website.

"It's completely breathtaking to witness. 

"We think that starlings do it for many reasons.

"Grouping together offers safety in numbers – predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands.

"They also gather to keep warm at night and to exchange information, such as good feeding areas. 

"They gather over their roosting site, and perform their wheeling stunts before they roost for the night."