European Starling

I find these starlings startle easily...I caught this one expressing his darker side! It's an exciting sight when a group land at the same time to feed on my deck.


Cool Facts about the European Starling

All the European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s. The birds were intentionally released by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned.

Starlings turn from spotted and white to glossy and dark each year without shedding their feathers. The new feathers they grow in fall have bold white tips – that’s what gives them their spots. By spring, these tips have worn away, and the rest of the feather is dark and iridescent brown. It’s an unusual changing act that scientists term “wear molt.”

Starlings are strong fliers that can get up to speeds of 48 mph.

Starlings are great vocal mimics: individuals can learn the calls of up to 20 different species.