Talking pet starling

[urbpan]

Not to give anyone any ideas, but in the United States, it's legal to own a European Starling as a pet (or pretty much do anything you want to them, as long as you don't run afoul of animal cruelty lawas). Here's someone in (apparently) South Carolina who has one, and has taught it a few phrases to speak. It's interesting how the quality of its voice is different from other talking birds.

http://myspace.com/talkingstarling

Edited to Add:

Interesting article about starling song choices: http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=104&articleID=1323

Comments

pet starling story

[(Anonymous)]

I have raised 2 pet starlings. The first was nearly dead when I found her (she was non-moving & even even COLD!), and I let her fly around to get her winging ability up, hid tidbits in pots of cat grass for her, and she flew out to join a few other birds during mating season. I have seen her with a few other birds in my area (her beak hadn't changed color to the yellow-breeding color & she raised her headfeathers in excitement when I called to her). The next baby starling came to me from a house being demolished - the mother left the nest and he was the only one left alive when I got to him. Fortunately for him, I missed my 1st starling so much, I had got a budgie. Now he and the budgie and me are a "flock" of sorts - he mimics that budgie perfectly, they chase each other and play, but he also likes one-on-one time sitting on me. I am working on teaching him to talk. I think if your pet starling has a big area to roam (mine has its own room it shares with the budgie), lots of nutritious and varied food, and at least one other bird, it's probably better off than left dead in a trash can or construction site somewhere. I had always considered them pests (and many years ago even shot one!) until I saw one up close and they captured my heart.