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100 species #6: European Starling
Mar. 16th, 2011 09:33 am
European starlings Sturnus vulgaris feeding on lawn invertebrates. Starlings are opportunistic omnivores feeding on insects, fruit, and corn. They are even zoo pests, eating duck food from the wetlands feeders and stealing ground carnivore diet from the wolves!
I'm going to be playing a bit of catch-up with these "100 species" posts. My original intention was to post 2 species a week (with 2 weeks wiggle room). But since we moved in later than we intended, my time has been taken up with other things. Fortunately, the sudden explosion of life the next few posts will represent is appropriate to the change of the seasons and the exciting appearance of new living things. This will also delay my inevitable string of boring posts about evergreen shrubs until the end of the year--let's hope, any way.
In any case, here's an unsurprising species! The starling is one of the most common birds in the world, the world having suffered the misfortune of Shakespeare mentioning the bird in a play. Enterprising Shakespeare fans with entirely too much time and money then imported these versatile animals to many places that had not yet been blessed with them. The result in the present day is the endangerment of native birds through competetion, destruction of agricultural products, and the creation of a flying urban pest. Still, they are not charmless with their scraggly good looks, ability to mimic birds and other animals, and fascinatingly intelligent behavior.
The European starling has appeared at this blog before as Urban Species #40, and many other occasions.
Since I've made myself into a guy people ask about urban nature, I've noticed a bunch of recurring characters in the questions people ask. I thought it might be interesting or useful to make a list of the creatures that most often inspire a "what the hell is that?" reaction. These animals have a special value as gateways to an interest in nature for city people. When someone is startled by something that seems unusual or exotic, it's a great way to start to appreciate life for its own sake.
#8: European starling Sturnus vulgaris
Most urban people never even notice this most common of city birds. Smaller than pigeons, without that bird's habit of lingering in parks for handouts, starlings are below the notice of laypeople. This changes when they find a young starling, separated from its parents, seemingly helpless. The nestling is the same size an adult (a fact common to songbirds that is a source of much bafflement to those new to the study of nature) but less shy of humans. Sometimes the bird is stunned by having struck a window or otherwise reluctant to fly. The would-be good Samaritan scoops the bird into a box and goes online looking for advice on how to care for their little patient. They are then amazed to discover that they have rescued a bird that is hated by bird lovers. This paradox can only disentangled by learning the history of starling introduction, and the subsequent disastrous effects on native birds. Not the most pleasant way to begin learning about urban nature, but it may be the first awakening that there are many stories of the animals in the city, and they may be interested to learn what animals are introduced, what are native, and the many ways humans have changed the path of nature.
( the countdown continues )
#8: European starling Sturnus vulgaris
Most urban people never even notice this most common of city birds. Smaller than pigeons, without that bird's habit of lingering in parks for handouts, starlings are below the notice of laypeople. This changes when they find a young starling, separated from its parents, seemingly helpless. The nestling is the same size an adult (a fact common to songbirds that is a source of much bafflement to those new to the study of nature) but less shy of humans. Sometimes the bird is stunned by having struck a window or otherwise reluctant to fly. The would-be good Samaritan scoops the bird into a box and goes online looking for advice on how to care for their little patient. They are then amazed to discover that they have rescued a bird that is hated by bird lovers. This paradox can only disentangled by learning the history of starling introduction, and the subsequent disastrous effects on native birds. Not the most pleasant way to begin learning about urban nature, but it may be the first awakening that there are many stories of the animals in the city, and they may be interested to learn what animals are introduced, what are native, and the many ways humans have changed the path of nature.
( the countdown continues )
Yesterday I had to go to work, to put in my mandatory special event time. Since for some reason there isn't much traffic on Sundays, I got there early. That was good, as it gave me a chance to go for a walk on the snow, and then I came across something pretty cool. In the trees overhead was a mixed flock of blackbirds. After I shot this video, I went to go see what they were. There were 30 or 40 male red-winged blackbirds, and a dozen or so starlings. I thought I heard grackles, but I wasn't certain that I could see them. There could have been other kinds of blackbirds--brewer's, bronzed, or rusty, or maybe some brown-headed cowbirds, but I could only make out the redwings and starlings.
This video is for listening. Close your eyes and enjoy. For the birdos, how many species can you pick out?
The woodpecker was on the other side of me, in the deer enclosure. I never saw it.
This video is for listening. Close your eyes and enjoy. For the birdos, how many species can you pick out?
The woodpecker was on the other side of me, in the deer enclosure. I never saw it.
Talking pet starling
Sep. 19th, 2006 08:29 amNot 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
http://myspace.com/talkingstarling
Edited to Add:
Interesting article about starling song choices: http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?issueID=104&articleID=1323
365 Urban Species. #040: European Starling
Feb. 9th, 2006 09:15 pm
Photographs by
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cottonmanifestoUrban Species #040: European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
What is the strangest animal species? No contest: humans. One example proving this is the existence of the Shakespeare societies of the 19th century. These groups made it their express purpose to bring to America every bird mentioned in the works of Shakespeare. The European starling was already, in Europe, a successful urban species, commuting between crop fields outside the city and nest holes in man-made objects and structures. It had centuries of experience of living alongside humans, house sparrows, and pigeons in Old World cities, when its mention in a tirade by Hotspur in Henry IV caused it to be brought to the New World.
The starling was brought to many places by many Shakespeare societies, but only established itself when it was released in New York City's central park. The starling's success as an American urban bird has earned it the hatred of American bird lovers. It succeeds at the expense of native birds, with the blame for the decline of eastern bluebirds, for example, laid at its feet.
It' s all a shame, of course, but the starling makes for fascinating urban nature watching nonetheless. Starlings possess an amazing range of vocalizations (tamed starlings can be taught to imitate human speech--that's the context for its inclusion in Shakespeare). A flock of hundreds of starlings is a sound that must be experienced to be believed. In flight, starlings flock together in groups that resemble schooling fish. Confronting an aerial predator they form a "starling ball," a cohesive mass of birds that must be intimidating to a single hawk.
Starlings, like many successful urban species, are omnivores and scavengers. They eat the fruit of ornamental trees and shrubs, insects, carrion, and garbage. Plenty of each of these is available in most cities.
Starlings have been introduced to many cities worldwide, becoming significant members of the urban fauna in such diverse locations as Vancouver, Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, Wellington New Zealand, and Sydney.
( more pictures )
