Why are starlings mysteriously drowning across Britain?

Starlings are dying in ponds across the UK and scientists are baffled by the mass drownings.

Research by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has found that the birds have been consistently drowning in groups of up to 80.

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One bird expert told the Guardian their deaths were "really unusual" as drowning is rare among wild birds and only usually affects individual birds.

Lead author and wildlife veterinarian at ZSL, Dr Becki Lawson, told the newspaper it could be behavioural.

See also: Why did thousands of starfish wash up dead on Welsh beach?

She said as the songbirds are a sociable species this could determine why multiple birds drown together.

The Press Association reports that in the past 25 years, the starling population in Britain has declined by 79 per cent.

Rob Robinson, of the British Trust for Ornithology, says: "Whilst drowning is an unexpected cause of death, it's not thought to be a conservation threat as - fortunately - these incidents are currently relatively rare.

"However, we still need to better understand factors such as disease that might be contributing to this decline.

"We would therefore ask people to keep up the good work by reporting incidents of starling death, whatever the apparent cause, via the Garden Wildlife Health website".