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Description

Species Name: Common Starling

Species Latin Name: Sturnus vulgaris

Also Known As: European Starling, Starling

Native To: Temperate Europe and across the Palearctic to western Mongolia

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Photo Taken At: N/A

Size (length): 19-23cm (7.5 – 9.1 inches)

Weight: 58-101g (2.04 – 3.6 oz)

Wingspan: 31-44cm (12.2 – 17.3 inches)

Lifespan: 2-23 years

Top Speed: 77kmh (47.9 mph)

Population Size: 150-310 Million

Population Trend: Decreasing

Diet: Omnivore

Mating Behaviour: Monogamy, Polygyny

Reproductive Season: Spring, Summer

Eggs Laid Per Brood: 4-5 eggs

Incubation Period: 13 days

Independent Age: 4-5 weeks

Baby Name: Chick

Group Names: Constellation, filth, murmation, scurge

Sub Species:

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Vulgaris); Located in most of Europe with exception to far northwest and far northeast portions of Europe. Also located in Iceland and the Canary Islands.

Faroe Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Faroensis); Located in the Faroe Islands.

Shetland Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Zetlandicus); Located in the Shetland Islands.

Azores Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Granti); Located in the Azores.

Siberian Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Poltaratskyi); Located in Eastern Bashkortostan eastwards through the Ural Mountains and central Siberia, to Lake Baykal and western Mongolia.

Black Sea Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Tauricus); Located from Crimea and east of Dnieper River eastwards around the coast of the Black Sea to western Asia Minor. Not located in the uplands.

Eastern Turkey Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Purpurascens); Located in Eastern Turkey to Tbilisi and Lake Sevan, also located in the uplands region on the eastern shore of the Black Sea.

Caucasian Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Caucasicus); Located in the Volga Delta through the eastern Caucasus and adjacent areas.

Central Asian Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Porphyronotus); Located in western Central Asia. Also located between the Dzungarian Alatau and the Altai Mountains.

Hume's Starling or Afghan Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Nobilior); Located in Afghanistan, southeastern Turkmenistan and adjacent to Uzbekistan to eastern Iran.

Himalayan Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Humii); located in Kashmir to Nepal.

Sindh Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Minor); Located in Pakistan.

Description:

The Common Starling is a medium sized bird that has a glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled white at certain times of the year. The legs are pink and their bill is black in the winter and yellow in the summer. The juveniles are grey-brown and by their first winter resemble adults although, they will often retain some of the brown colouration of their feathers particularly around their head. Their eyes are dark brown in colouration and their black wings will have a hint of purple and green to them. There i sexual dimorphism between the species. The males will tend to have longer feathers around the chest area where as the females will have short feathers around their chest.

Diet:

The Common Starling is omnivorous but has a preference for eating a variety of insects including spiders, crane flies, moths, mayflies, dragonflies, damsel flies, grasshoppers, earwigs, lacewings, caddisflies, flies, beetles, sawflies, beetles, sawflies, bees, wasps, and ants. These birds are also known to prey on various earthworms, snails, small amphibians, and lizards. Although feeding on invertebrates is needed for successful breeding these birds can also feed on grains, seeds, fruits, nectar, and food waste if the opportunity comes up.

Behaviour:

These birds are quite noisy and they have a wide variety of songs that can either melodious or mechanical sounding in nature. The male will often be the most vocal, his songs can last over a minute and potentially go for even longer than that. These birds have been known to mimic portions of other birds songs and incorporate them into their own songs. A lot of repetition will be featured in the song as the bird focuses on one aspect before moving onto the next, proficient birds will have over 35 different melodies and over 15 mechanical like clicks to choose from in their songs.

This singing behaviour will generally occur closer to the breeding period as males will try to attract a mate. Generally the females will prefer a male that has a longer and more complex song, older males will generally have a larger choice of melodies and clicks to work with in comparison to the younger males. Males that have yet to find a partner may build a nest in a suitable cavity as they continue their song.

The nests will be decorated with ornaments such as flowers or fresh green material to further assist with attracting a mate. If the nest is partially built before attracting a mate both the male and female will complete the nest. Nesting locations can include any type of hole such as hollowed trees, buildings, tree stumps, and man-made nest boxes. The nests will typically be made of straw, dry grass, and twigs with an inner lining made of feathers, wool, and soft leaves.

The female will lay about 4-5 eggs and both parents will share a responsibility of incubating the eggs for about 13 days. These birds will generally form monogamous pairs however, there are cases where formed pairs may have an additional helper or will have a male occasionally mate with another female whilst the first female is still nesting. Once the chicks have hatched both parents will feed the chicks until they reach independence 4-5 weeks after hatching. The chicks will leave the nest 3 weeks after hatching where they will continue to be fed by the parents for 1-2 more weeks. Within 2 months the juveniles will have molted their first basic plumage and they will have their adult plumage within a year.

Pest Status:

These birds were introduced to Australia initially to fed on insect pests from farms in Melbourne in 1857, two decades later these birds were also introduced to Sydney. By the 1920's these birds were widespread throughout Victoria, Queensland, and New South Whales. These birds have since then been deemed a pest that have also spread to Kangaroo Island, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, and Tasmania.

These birds will often compete with native bird species for nesting locations, these birds are also responsible for some damage to agriculture as well. The Common Starling has also been included in the IUCN List of the World's 100 worst invasive species.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_s…

Birdlife: www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profi…

Kidadl: kidadl.com/animal-facts/starli…

Animalia: animalia.bio/common-starling

Australian Museum: australian.museum/learn/animal…

Birds In Backyards: www.birdsinbackyards.net/speci…

Description

Species Name: Common Starling

Species Latin Name: Sturnus vulgaris

Also Known As: European Starling, Starling

Native To: Temperate Europe and across the Palearctic to western Mongolia

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Photo Taken At: N/A

Size (length): 19-23cm (7.5 – 9.1 inches)

Weight: 58-101g (2.04 – 3.6 oz)

Wingspan: 31-44cm (12.2 – 17.3 inches)

Lifespan: 2-23 years

Top Speed: 77kmh (47.9 mph)

Population Size: 150-310 Million

Population Trend: Decreasing

Diet: Omnivore

Mating Behaviour: Monogamy, Polygyny

Reproductive Season: Spring, Summer

Eggs Laid Per Brood: 4-5 eggs

Incubation Period: 13 days

Independent Age: 4-5 weeks

Baby Name: Chick

Group Names: Constellation, filth, murmation, scurge

Sub Species:

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Vulgaris); Located in most of Europe with exception to far northwest and far northeast portions of Europe. Also located in Iceland and the Canary Islands.

Faroe Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Faroensis); Located in the Faroe Islands.

Shetland Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Zetlandicus); Located in the Shetland Islands.

Azores Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Granti); Located in the Azores.

Siberian Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Poltaratskyi); Located in Eastern Bashkortostan eastwards through the Ural Mountains and central Siberia, to Lake Baykal and western Mongolia.

Black Sea Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Tauricus); Located from Crimea and east of Dnieper River eastwards around the coast of the Black Sea to western Asia Minor. Not located in the uplands.

Eastern Turkey Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Purpurascens); Located in Eastern Turkey to Tbilisi and Lake Sevan, also located in the uplands region on the eastern shore of the Black Sea.

Caucasian Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Caucasicus); Located in the Volga Delta through the eastern Caucasus and adjacent areas.

Central Asian Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Porphyronotus); Located in western Central Asia. Also located between the Dzungarian Alatau and the Altai Mountains.

Hume's Starling or Afghan Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Nobilior); Located in Afghanistan, southeastern Turkmenistan and adjacent to Uzbekistan to eastern Iran.

Himalayan Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Humii); located in Kashmir to Nepal.

Sindh Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Minor); Located in Pakistan.

Description:

The Common Starling is a medium sized bird that has a glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled white at certain times of the year. The legs are pink and their bill is black in the winter and yellow in the summer. The juveniles are grey-brown and by their first winter resemble adults although, they will often retain some of the brown colouration of their feathers particularly around their head. Their eyes are dark brown in colouration and their black wings will have a hint of purple and green to them. There i sexual dimorphism between the species. The males will tend to have longer feathers around the chest area where as the females will have short feathers around their chest.

Diet:

The Common Starling is omnivorous but has a preference for eating a variety of insects including spiders, crane flies, moths, mayflies, dragonflies, damsel flies, grasshoppers, earwigs, lacewings, caddisflies, flies, beetles, sawflies, beetles, sawflies, bees, wasps, and ants. These birds are also known to prey on various earthworms, snails, small amphibians, and lizards. Although feeding on invertebrates is needed for successful breeding these birds can also feed on grains, seeds, fruits, nectar, and food waste if the opportunity comes up.

Behaviour:

These birds are quite noisy and they have a wide variety of songs that can either melodious or mechanical sounding in nature. The male will often be the most vocal, his songs can last over a minute and potentially go for even longer than that. These birds have been known to mimic portions of other birds songs and incorporate them into their own songs. A lot of repetition will be featured in the song as the bird focuses on one aspect before moving onto the next, proficient birds will have over 35 different melodies and over 15 mechanical like clicks to choose from in their songs.

This singing behaviour will generally occur closer to the breeding period as males will try to attract a mate. Generally the females will prefer a male that has a longer and more complex song, older males will generally have a larger choice of melodies and clicks to work with in comparison to the younger males. Males that have yet to find a partner may build a nest in a suitable cavity as they continue their song.

The nests will be decorated with ornaments such as flowers or fresh green material to further assist with attracting a mate. If the nest is partially built before attracting a mate both the male and female will complete the nest. Nesting locations can include any type of hole such as hollowed trees, buildings, tree stumps, and man-made nest boxes. The nests will typically be made of straw, dry grass, and twigs with an inner lining made of feathers, wool, and soft leaves.

The female will lay about 4-5 eggs and both parents will share a responsibility of incubating the eggs for about 13 days. These birds will generally form monogamous pairs however, there are cases where formed pairs may have an additional helper or will have a male occasionally mate with another female whilst the first female is still nesting. Once the chicks have hatched both parents will feed the chicks until they reach independence 4-5 weeks after hatching. The chicks will leave the nest 3 weeks after hatching where they will continue to be fed by the parents for 1-2 more weeks. Within 2 months the juveniles will have molted their first basic plumage and they will have their adult plumage within a year.

Pest Status:

These birds were introduced to Australia initially to fed on insect pests from farms in Melbourne in 1857, two decades later these birds were also introduced to Sydney. By the 1920's these birds were widespread throughout Victoria, Queensland, and New South Whales. These birds have since then been deemed a pest that have also spread to Kangaroo Island, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, and Tasmania.

These birds will often compete with native bird species for nesting locations, these birds are also responsible for some damage to agriculture as well. The Common Starling has also been included in the IUCN List of the World's 100 worst invasive species.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_s…

Birdlife: www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profi…

Kidadl: kidadl.com/animal-facts/starli…

Animalia: animalia.bio/common-starling

Australian Museum: australian.museum/learn/animal…

Birds In Backyards: www.birdsinbackyards.net/speci…