Starling

Starling, common name applied to most species of a large and diverse family of passerine birds; some are called mynas. Relatively few starlings are native to northern areas of Europe and Asia; about half of the species inhabit Africa and most of the rest live in southern Asia and the East Indies.

Because it has been so widely introduced beyond its native Eurasian habitat, the best-known species is the common starling, which is now found in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, North America south to Mexico, and some of the West Indian islands. In 1890, 100 of the birds were brought to Central Park, New York City. They thrived so successfully that countless thousands of the birds are now found on the continent, particularly in the northeastern United States. Local numbers are sometimes so large that the birds are considered nuisances, but they are also valuable predators on insects.

The adult male and female common starling attain a length of about 21.5 cm (about 8.5 in). Juvenile common starlings are a uniform mousy brown in color. In late summer and fall, they molt into an essentially adult plumage, glossy green and purple almost concealed by large buffy-white spots at the tips of all the body feathers. During the winter these pale tips wear away, revealing the iridescent plumage below. Males and females are similar in plumage color, but adult males have long hackle feathers on the breast; these are shorter in females and even shorter in yearling starlings. The bills are dark brown in winter, but turn yellow as spring approaches. A spot at the base of the bill provides the only color difference between the sexes—bluish in males, reddish in females.

Common starlings are omnivorous feeders and are lively and active. They nest in holes and cavities in trees, and they often appropriate the nests made by other birds, such as bluebirds and woodpeckers, driving away the original occupants. They are also city dwellers and are fond of roosting and nesting on or in buildings. About five pale, bluish-green eggs are usually laid in a clutch, and the young birds are tended by both the male and female. The song of the common starling is a composite of squeaky sounds, clear whistles, and imitations of other birds or even barking dogs.

Scientific classification: Starlings belong to the family Sturnidae of the order Passeriformes. The common starling is classified as Sturnus vulgaris.

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