European Starling

Sturnus vulgarisOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Starling (Sturnidae)

European Starling Juvenile - The juvenile European Starling is gray-brown overall with a brown bill.

European Starling - The breeding adult European Starling is an iridescent purple and green black bird with white flecks overall. The bill is yellow with a blue base in males, a pink base in females.

European Starling Adult Fall - The adult fall European Starling is iridescent purple and green black bird with white flecks and feathers are tipped in brown and white. The bill is gray-brown.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

European Starling

European Starling: Small, chunky, iridescent purple and green blackbird with long, pointed yellow bill, pink legs, and short tail. The feathers on back and undertail show buff edges. Feeds in open areas, normally on the ground. Strong, direct and swift flight on rapidly beating wings.

● Song: "pheeEW"

● Foraging & Feeding: European Starling: Eats seeds, insects, small vertebrates, centipedes, spiders, earthworms, plants, and fruits; commonly takes food discarded by humans.

● Breeding & nesting: European Starling: Four to eight pale blue or green eggs, sometimes marked with brown, are laid in a nest made of twigs, grass, forbs, straw, and trash. Nest is lined built in a natural hollow of a tree, bird box, building crevice, or abandoned woodpecker hole. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days.

● Similar species: European Starling: Blackbirds, cowbirds and grackles have longer tails, slimmer bodies, dark bills, and lack white spots on head and body.

Flight Pattern

Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

European Starling Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: European Starling: Native to Eurasia, but widely introduced worldwide. Occurs from Alaska and Quebec south throughout the continent to the Gulf coast and northern Mexico. Preferred habitats include cities, suburban areas, farmlands, and ranches.

^BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies

^Population

^MigrationNorthern birds migrate

^Weight3 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America