Huge flocks of migrating starlings are creating a spectacular daily show at a Gloucestershire wetlands reserve.

Up to 250,000 birds mainly from Scandinavia, have migrated to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's nature reserve at Slimbridge.

Every evening at sunset, the starlings are putting on amazing acrobatic displays as they prepare to roost.

But the UK's starling population has been in decline recently, due to predation and loss of habitat.

The UK hosts millions of starlings in winter

Neil Woodward, the centre manager at Slimbridge, said starlings are naturally gregarious birds.

"There is safety in numbers for them, and the large mass of so many provides heat when the weather gets colder.

"There are lots of roost sites here for them and they come every year," he added.

Wardens at the centre say the number of birds roosting there is anything between 100,000 and 250,000.

Starlings migrate to the UK in increasing numbers from October onwards, preferring warmer, low-lying areas in the countryside.

In winter, the country's starling population can reach many millions.