Though few people will recognize the name, more will recognize the face of the Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). This ubiquitous species can be found in just about every city and suburb environment in the United States and Europe. In 1998, it was estimated that there are approximately 200 million of these birds living through out the US (for contrast, that same year there were about 270 million people living in the US). All in all, the Starlings in America seem to be doing pretty good, especially considering this: the entire population in the US, all 200 million of them, are descended from about 60-100 birds that were brought from Europe to New York City in 1890. The birds were brought to Central Park and by Eugene Schieffelin, president of an organization that was trying to introduce every bird in Shakespeare’s plays to North America.
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| Starlings are mentioned in King Henry IV: “I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak nothing but "Mortimer," and give it him, to keep his anger still in motion." |
Although the American Acclimitization Society had good intentions, they were tremendously, horribly misguided. In their efforts, they created an ecological monster by introducing such a remarkably adaptable species to North America. They are largely considered to by a nuisance by just about everyone. The starling is a hole-rooster, and human structures have plenty of places for nests. In rural areas, the birds can come together to form enormous flocks that can damage crops and displace native species. In cities, their droppings can be corrosive in large concentrations and toxic to trees that they perch on, not to mention the dropping can also harbor the fungal disease histoplasmosis. The birds themselves can serve as vectors for mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile Virus. Near airports they can be a hazard to planes that are landing or taking off.
Starlings may be common pests in our eyes and it leads us to overlook the good things about them. The starling’s plumage of brown and black feathers with small white polka dots and a green-purple iridescent sheen are almost never noticed by the casual observer. Starling’s throat feathers stay long and loose, serving as a mating signal in the breeding season. In the summer, their bills turn from black to bright yellow. Starlings are also impressively vocal; they can mimic sounds they hear and have their own song. In Boston, I’ve heard starlings mimic car alarms, sirens, and walk-signal noise to aid the blind. Starlings also have a caw-language to each other with specific calls for announcing threats, attacking, flocking, and copulation. Starlings are opportunistic insectivores; they prefer to eat insects, but also eat seeds, grains, fruits, and occasionally garbage. Starlings hunt for food primarily by probing the ground with their beak and sallying (science-word for grabbing invertebrate prey out of the air mid-flight). Starlings are excellent at sallying.
Yes, starlings are obnoxious pests, and yes they are destructive to native species, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t sweet animals too.
