Lessons of the Starlings

Endemic to Eurasia, starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are incandescent purple and green birds. Called “the poor man’s Myna”, starlings have a gift for mimicry and song. When they call to each other, starlings use their musical language. Their complex and varied calls include “flock”, “threat”, “attack”, and a host of others.

Flocking in the thousands, starlings will clean out fruit in orchards and seed sown in fields. As generalists, they can live anywhere except in dense wet forests. Moreover, these aggressive birds will chase other birds out of cavity nests, and take over.

Gathering in the thousands, starlings in flight are an awesome sight. In March, at Jutland Denmark, many starlings congregate in anticipation of their spring migration. As they rise as one, the birds blot out the sun. People call this gathering of the starlings: “Sorta Sol”, the Black Sun.

Introduced in North America and South Africa for their beauty, starlings now crowd out native birds. Meanwhile in Australia and New Zealand, they have not stopped the crop pests they were released to control. In contrast, starlings are almost extinct in their northern European range. (Large industrial farms have caused this decline.)

Starlings’ impact on their environment is complex. Because they flock in the thousands, starlings leave their guano everywhere. This is good for seed dispersal but creates health problems for humans. Also, by roosting in the thousands, starlings short out power stations.

Released in 1890 by Eugene Scheiffelin (of the American Acclimatization Society for European Settlers), starlings have spread from New York City to Alaska by 1970. In 1920, the starling population exploded in Ohio (which now hosts the largest breeding population of starlings in North America). By 1950, they ranged from Oregon to Florida.

Some naturalists have suggested a link between the extinction of the Carolina parakeet and the explosion of the starling population in North America. Living in similar regions, both species flocked in the thousands. Already in decline, Carolina parakeets were driven out by the aggressive starlings in some regions. By 1920, the parakeets were gone and starlings took over the niche of huge flocks of birds.

Starlings teach us the Law of Unintended Consequences. Before we do something, we need to be prepared for the ramifications of our actions. If we forget to do this, the starlings will remind us..

Sources:
Adeney, Jennifer Marion, “Introduced Species Summary Project: European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)”, Columbia University, October 18, 2001, accessed 7 Nov 2008,

Withers, David Ian, “Origins of the European Starling in the United States”, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. March 1, 2000, accessed 7 Nov 2008

______, “European Starling”, National Invasive Species Information Center , U.S. Department of Agriculture, May 15, 2008, accessed 7 Nov 2008,

______, “Starling Fact Sheet”, Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), June 10, 2008, accessed 7 Nov 2008


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Copyright: Virginia Carper, Animal Teachers, 2008

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