European Starling
A stunning bird on the ground or in flight, the European starling is a common songbird across the state.
About This Species
The European starling is a stocky black bird with a short tail, triangular wings, and a long, slender, pointed beak. It looks black at a distance, but when examined more closely, one will notice the stunning details. In the summer this species is dark and glossy, with purplish-green iridescent feathers and a yellow beak. In the fall and winter months, the European starling grows white-tipped feathers, giving it a brightly spotted appearance. By spring the white tips wear away, leaving dark, iridescent brown plumage. In flight the wings are short and pointed, giving the bird a small, four-pointed, star-like appearance, hence the name "starling". The eggs are bluish or greenish white. In North America European starlings are very genetically similar, due to the short amount of time that has passed since the original birds were released.
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Range
The European starling was introduced to North America by Shakespeare enthusiasts in the nineteenth century. All the individuals in North America are descended from 100 individuals that were intentionally released into New York's Central Park in the early 1890s. The group that masterminded the release did so with the intent of introducing all the bird species that Shakespeare ever mentioned. It took several tries before the species took a foothold. Today the European starling is among the continent's most numerous songbirds, with more than 200 million individuals range from Alaska to Mexico.
This species is a vocal mimic, capable of learning the calls of up to 20 different species. Usually this includes the songs of the Eastern wood-pewee, killdeer, meadowlark, Northern bobwhite, wood thrush, red-tailed hawk, American robin, and Northern flicker (among many others).
Habitat
The European starling prefers human-influenced habitats. Avoiding undisturbed stretches of forest, it is common in towns, suburbs, and countryside near human settlements. The European starling lives around people, using lawns, city streets, sidewalks, and fields for foraging. It perches and roosts on high wires, trees, and buildings, using trees, buildings, and other human structures for nesting. The European starling eats a wide variety of invertebrates, fruits, and other foods. This includes: grasshoppers, beetles, flies, caterpillars, snails, earthworms, millipedes, spiders, cherries, holly berries, hackberries, mulberries, tupelo, Virginia creeper, sumac, blackberries, grains, seeds, nectar, livestock feed, and garbage. It can often be seen foraging with other bird species.