Fact Check: Don't be fooled by fake video showing 'starling murmuration' in London
Claim:
A video authentically showed a starling murmuration near Big Ben in London on May 27, 2025.
Rating:
In late May 2025, a video (reported) circulated online purportedly showing a starling murmuration — a spectacle where starlings gather in the thousands at dusk and collectively fly in shape-shifting patterns — near Big Ben in London, England.
The post featuring the footage, which had more than 147,000 views at the time of this writing, claimed the display took place on May 27.
The clip also appeared elsewhere (archived) on X (archived) and on (archived) Facebook (archived).
However, the video was fake. In the 10-second clip, Big Ben's clocks displayed different times, and the Palace of Westminster was also missing at least two towers. Additionally, the London Eye, which was also featured in the footage, is actually located across the River Thames and is not next to the Palace of Westminster as the video showed. The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), two British wildlife trusts, have both previously reported that starling murmurations happen during the winter months, not spring and summer.
The video did not carry any visible signs (such as a watermark or logo) that it was generated by artificial intelligence (AI). However, its content revealed that it was fake.
The footage depicted the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben (located in London near Westminster Bridge). However, a comparison with accurate, authentic street view imagery on Google Maps revealed that the AI generator missed several details on the palace, including at least two towers, as shown below.
(X user @InterestingSci1/Google Maps/Snopes Illustration)
The geography shown in the clip was also incorrect. The big Ferris wheel seen beside the Palace of Westminster (the London Eye) is located across the River Thames from the palace, not next to it. In the Google Maps view above, the London Eye would actually be directly to the right/east of the picture.
Additionally, the video shows Big Ben with different times on two of its clock faces. The Big Ben clock, situated on Elizabeth Tower, generally shows the same time — British Summer Time on May 27, 2025 — on all four clock faces.
It was not clear at the time of this writing who generated the starling murmuration footage and what AI engine was used. However, the X account that posted the most popular version also posted numerous other fake or misleading posts. For example, on May 30, 2025, the account posted a video (archived) of a pink volcano eruption that Snopes has previously debunked.
Regardless of the authenticity of this particular clip, starling murmurations are authentic performances that do occur in the U.K. during the winter months.
According to the RSPB, starling murmurations take place from November to February when birds from Scandinavia join the resident British starlings and raise population numbers. Murmurations can consist of thousands of birds and allow the starlings to socialize and exchange information while benefiting from safety in numbers.
'Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster Are Pictured from the London...' Getty Images, 30 July 2024, https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/big-ben-and-the-palace-of-westminster-are-pictured-from-the-news-photo/2163844640.
"Facts and Figures: Big Ben and Elizabeth Tower." UK Parliament, https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben/facts-figures/#:~:text=There%20are%C2%A04%C2%A0clock%20dials.
Starling Murmurations | The Wildlife Trusts. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/where_to_see_starling_murmurations. Accessed 30 May 2025.
"Starling Murmurations: How to Enjoy Winter's Best Spectacle!" Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, 8 Nov. 2024, https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/starlings-murmurations.
"Street View · Google Maps." Street View · Google Maps, https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5013684,-0.119901,2a,75y,249.84h,94.65t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s8JMMmfcYm63lU28uSaxHUg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-4.653051530357644%26panoid%3D8JMMmfcYm63lU28uSaxHUg%26yaw%3D249.8402299703048!7i13312!8i6656?entry=tts&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUyOC4wIPu8ASoASAFQAw%3D%3D&skid=f8c2fde4-bf68-4b85-b367-e0d11967d916. Accessed 30 May 2025.
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