Birds and Wildlife
Another Unloved Bird -
The European Starling
Polly Adcock
February 3, 2020
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I have had many discussions as to what is a starling and
some think any blackbird is a starling. When I moved here I had
Brewers Blackbirds (with the yellow eye) and Red-winged
Blackbirds devouring birdseed by the bag! They don't look
anything like the starling. It is listed as 7-8.5 inches long and
that is considering a stubby tail. It is a chunky bird with
feathers that are iridescent before breeding. After a molting the
feathers have cream tips, which fade over winter. The bill is
long, strong and bright yellow in summer but dulls in winter. A
notation was made that NO native species of blackbird have a
yellow bill.
I did not make living as a farmer and I liked to see
starlings show up in my yard and march four abreast searching
for whatever because I dislike slugs and snails. In Oregon slugs
were a terrible nuisance. I COULD NOT grow chrysanthemums
because of those “mum munchers”!! However, one day in 2000
(as recorded in my bird book) I was in my husband's office when
a starling flew into the pachysandra next to the sidewalk,
grabbed a slug, slapped it on the concrete and flew away! Yes,
that's my kind of bird! I looked it up and indeed they eat lots of
pesky insects. . . . . In fact one article said they devour insects
with veracity unmatched by any native species BUT after
researching for this I find they eat lots of other things like the
farmers' grains and fruits.
The starling is considered a non-native invasive species.
Most books and articles said in 1890 a New Yorker Eugene
Scheifflin imported 60 starlings and loosed them in NYC near
Central Park BECAUSE he wanted to transplant to the U.S. all of
the birds Shakespeare mentioned in his writings. The following
year 40 more were loosed. They multiplied rapidly, consumed
farmers' fruits and grains and made UNWANTED TEXTURING
on building and cars in the city. By 1942 they were found in
California.
In 1960 an airplane engine inhaled a flock, which caused
the death of 62 people.
My older books say they are cavity nesters and usurp
homes for native cavity nesters such as bluebirds, woodpeckers
and martins??? Perhaps this happens in the wild because THE
BIRDBOX BUILDERS ASSOCIATION requires 1 ½ inch hole for
their houses (just joking). Those starlings have large chests and
I can't figure them getting into the box. It would be like putting
on pantyhose!
These birds are related to the myna bird and they don't
have a set melody. Instead they make noisy chatter even in
flight, clear whistles, imitate other birds and mechanical
sounds. So that is probably the reason they did not make the
BIRD CLOCK list.
Some more recently written articles told of how to
discourage their foraging. They prefer grazed lands as opposed
to tall grasses and trees so crop rotation was mentioned. Crops
growers were using propane exploders, hawk kites,
pyrotechnics, and ultrasonic sounds to frighten or harass them
to go away.
This Fall as we were moving our daughter and family into
their home which is near many vineyards we heard pops
thinking we were close to a gun range only to find that the
vineyards were trying to scare away the birds.
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