The European starling may not rank high on anybody’s popularity list, but this aggressive bird, who was once a favorite among 18th century royalty, wins high marks for its intelligence.
The male starling, for example, is known to adorn nest sites with flowers to woo a mate. And nesting pairs of starlings have been observed tucking fresh herbs into their nest, presumably to ward off insect pests.
Starlings are also well-known for mimicking birds and humans, making them once a popular pet among the European royalty. In fact, Mozart kept a starling in a cage for several years, enjoying the bird’s musical chortles and chirps.
Roger Tory Peterson described the starling as “a gregarious, garrulous, short-tailed ‘blackbird’ with a meadowlark shape.”
Indeed, years ago, when I worked in downtown Baltimore as a hotelier, I would marvel at flocks of thousands of starlings, who would fly into downtown at dusk in the winter and roost among the cornices of many high-rise government and commercial office buildings. For me, it was a spectacle, watching them wheel and circle in rippling waves — it is called “murmuring” — before landing.
How do starlings and other birds, like grackles or red-winged blackbirds, fly in immense flocks, without colliding with each other? It is still a mystery. (Although, I have read that we now believe each bird does not guide on the flock, but instead on those companions who are flying maybe 4-6 birds apart from them, to keep some semblance of order, as the flock twists and turns).
Starlings are native to Europe, parts of North Africa and Asia. They are members of the Family Sturnidae, a varied family of birds with short tails and sharp beaks. The starling’s scientific name is Sturnus vulgaris.
In our country, starlings are considered an invasive species.
How did they get to America? “Old World starlings were purposely introduced to Central Park, New York City in 1890 by a well-meaning but misguided man named Eugene Schiefflin,” wrote Connie Smith for the website, helpfulpet.com.
The original 60 pairs that were released, Smith said, rapidly multiplied, and the rest is history. Starlings now populate all 48 contiguous states and Canada.
Do starlings matter? Yes. They eat tons of insects.
In the summer, for example, starlings control grubs, the larvae form of many kinds of destructive beetles, like Japanese beetles, that live below the surface of our lawns and eat the grass roots. If you see starlings on your lawn, watch how quickly they scurry about, jabbing and poking their rapier-like beaks into the ground. They are probing for grubs, one of their favorite food items. In the winter, starlings eat seeds.
Are starlings a nuisance? Yes. They can ruin fruit crops, steal nesting sites from other birds and hog bird feeders, especially ones with suet.
Here is a helpful hint: If you have starlings stampede your suet stations, like I do, get an “upside-down” suet feeder. The suet cake rests upside down, with a cover over it, allowing clinging birds, like chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers to feed on the suet, but not starlings!
Bill Hobbs lives in Stonington. He can be reached at whobbs246@gmail.com.
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Nature Notes: Starlings an invasive bird species with a brain - theday.com
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