Starling flock (murmuration) at a sunset inDenmarkSong of Common Starling, Chuvashia, Russia
Thestarlings are afamily of small to medium-sizedbirds, theSturnidae. This family arepasserinesongbirds, whose best-known species isSternus, the common starling.
Starlings have strong feet, their flight is strong and direct, and they are very gregarious (social). Their preferredhabitat is fairly open country. They areomnivores. They eatinsects andfruit. Several species live around humans. Many species search for food by opening the bill after probing it into dense vegetation; this behavior is called 'open-bill probing'. Plumage is usually dark with a metallic sheen and white flecks (spots). Most species nest in holes, laying blue or whiteeggs.
Adult feeding young
Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are calledmynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of theiriridescentplumage.
Starlings have varied and complex songs, and may copy sounds from their surroundings, including car alarms, and human speech. The birds can recognize particular individuals by their calls.
North-East European starlingsmigrate, but in southern and western Europe the birds are resident. Starlings are generally a highly social family. Most species associate in flocks of varying sizes throughout the year. These flocks may include other species of starlings and sometimes species from other families. This social activity is obvious in their roosting behaviour. In the non-breeding season some roosts can number thousands of birds. Flocks inBritain used to number millions of birds, though numbers are now fewer than they used to be.
Sternus vulgaris is a highly gregarious species in autumn and winter. Flock size is variable: huge flocks are a spectacular sight and sound. These flocks often attractbirds of prey such assparrowhawks. Flocks form a tightsphere-like formation in flight, frequently expanding and contracting and changing shape, seemingly without any leader.[1]
Very large roosts, sometimes up to 1.5 million birds, can form in city centers, woodlands, or reedbeds, causing problems with their droppings.Huge flocks of more than a million starlings are observed just before sunset in spring in southwesternJutland,Denmark. There they gather in March until they leave for their breeding ranges by mid-April. Their flocking creates complex shapes against the sky, a phenomenon known locally as "Black Sun". To witness this spectacle, the best place are the seawardmarshlands ofTønder andEsbjerg .[2]
European starling eggs
Flocks of anything from five to fifty thousand starlings form in areas of the UK just before sundown during mid winter. These flocks are commonly called a murmeration, sometimes a StarlingMoot.(meaningmeeting orcouncil)
Although there are approximately 200 million starlings inNorth America, they are all descendants of 60 birds released in 1890 (and 40 more in 1891) inCentral Park,New York, by Eugene Schieffelin.[3] He was a member of the Acclimation Society of North America, which tried to introduce to North America every bird species mentioned in the works ofWilliam Shakespeare.[4]
As anintroduced species, European starlings are not protected under theMigratory Bird Treaty Act.[5] Starlings are considered a nuisance species in North America. The birds, which travel in enormous flocks, often pose dangers to air travel, disrupt cattle operations, chase off native birds, and roost on city blocks. They leave behind corrosive droppings and hundreds of millions of dollars of damage every year. In 2008, U.S. government agents poisoned, shot and trapped 1.7 million starlings, more than any other nuisance species.[6]
The starling family includes a lot of birds which look different to the common starling. One large group is called themynas, which genetic analysis shows is not a natural group.[7]
↑Zuccon, Dario; Cibois, Alice; Pasquet, Eric; Ericson, Per G.P. 2006. Nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data reveal the major lineages of starlings, mynas and related taxa.Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.41 (2): 333–344. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.007.PMID 16806992.
