Common Starlings in Europe

Beneficial Bird of the European North, Pest in the South and West

Jul 27, 2009

A Common Starling, Vytauto, Wikimedia Commons

The Common Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, is native to Europe and Asia. Its relationship with people has helped it flourish, with both good and bad results.

The Common Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, was likely once a bird of open grassland in Europe, cavity nesters that relied on a relatively limited habitat where they could forage on the ground for insects and find seeds and fruit in autumn. Clearing land for raising livestock and growing crops was a boon to the starling. It became one of the most common birds in human communities and people liked it enough to introduce it to North America, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, South Africa and, most recently, Argentina.

Diet and Feeding Habits of the Common Starling

In spring and summer, Common Starlings feed mostly on the ground, exploring grasses with their beaks in search of insects and larvae. Their capacity to eat crop pests makes them a favorite of farmers in the northern and eastern parts of their range, who for the most part never experience the depredations of the birds in fall and winter.

In autumn, the Common Starling turns from insects and insect larvae to grains and fruit, which explains why the bird is so unpopular wherever it spends the colder months of the year. Flocks of starlings descend on orchards of cherries and olives, and into vineyards, where they can do tremendous damage to the crop. They also visit livestock rearing facilities where large amounts of grain are left out as feed. Farmers in England and much of Europe have long attempted to control starlings in order to protect their livelihoods.

Common Starling Nesting, Breeding, and Roosting

Common Starlings flock together during most of the year. Even during the breeding season, though some pairs may nest on their own, the species tends to breed in loose colonies with nests sometimes very close together. Rather than being territorial birds, they flock together to feed even when they are caring for newly fledged young. Nest building, incubation, and caring for young are a cooperative effort between male and female birds:

The male begins construction of the nest and then the female takes over, lining it with soft material such as fine grass and feathers.
The female lays 4 – 6 eggs, with all females in a colony laying at roughly the same time.
Nestlings hatch in about 12 days. They are fed insects and insect larvae for another 12 days until they are ready to leave the nest.
After fledging, young continue to receive insect food from their parents until they can forage for themselves.
Independent young gather in flocks to seek out readily available food.

Outside the breeding season Common Starlings flock, feed, and roost together, sometimes flying many miles during the day to find food and returning by dusk. They occupy noisy daytime roosts in treetops and on power lines, and nighttime roosts that can contain hundreds of thousands of birds in winter.

Migration Patterns of Common Starlings in Europe

Many populations of Common Starlings, particularly those that live in places where winters are not harsh, remain in one place all year round. Others migrate, often moving into the regions with milder climates and increasing flock sizes there. Migration destinations are apparently not fixed, and a winter flock typically contains individuals with different summer origins. These mixed flocks also contain young birds that have dispersed from their place of birth.

Britain, France, and Spain receive many migrating Common Starlings, but the birds are also reported to winter in Africa and India. Various control measures, including physical protection of crops, spraying with toxins, and shooting, have had little effect on overall populations, probably because of the mixed nature of wintering flocks.

Population Trends of Common Starlings in Europe

Current estimates put the European population of Common Starlings at between 45 million and 110 million birds. They were probably much less common in many areas before the beginning of the 19th century, but increased rapidly after that time. The reasons for their success include:

Widespread pasture creation due to farming, with increased access to insect food in spring and summer.
Buildings and other structures that provided cavities for nesting.
Possible expansion of range to the north and west.

Today the Common Starling seems to be declining again, probably due to changes in farming practices and a decrease in available nesting sites. While the population is fairly stable overall, Sturnus vulgaris is a species of conservation concern in England, where it is now illegal to kill the birds or interfere with nests.

Interesting Facts About the Common Starling

There are some curious little-known facts about Common Starlings:

The obvious white spots seen on a bird with new plumage in the fall disappear as a result of feather wear over the winter.
Nest parasitism is quite common among Common Starlings, where a female without a nest of her own lays an egg in the nest of another female. At the same time, she often removes one of the host’s eggs.
Common Starlings typically have a rather wheezy call and groups roosting during the day in treetops keep up a constant chatter, but the birds are also capable of imitating the calls of other bird species.

Sources

"European Starling" Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds

"Starling." The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. (RSPB).

"The Starling in Europe: Multiple Approaches to a Problem Species." Feare, Chris J., and Pierre Douville de Franssu. Proceedings of the Fifteenth Vertebrate Pest Conference 1992. University of Nebraska Lincoln.

The copyright of the article Common Starlings in Europe in Wild Birds is owned by Rosemary Drisdelle. Permission to republish Common Starlings in Europe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.