THE BIRD BOOK 



starling 



STARLINGS. Family STURNID^ 



[ip.S.] Starling. Stiiruiis vulgaris. 



Range. — A European species which has cas- 

 ually been taken in Greenland. It was liber- 

 ated a number of years ago in Central Park. 

 New York City, and has 

 now become abundant ^y 

 there and is spreading 

 slowly in all directions. 



They build their nests 

 in all sorts of locations 

 such as are used by the 

 English Sparrow, wher- 

 ever they can find a 

 sufficiently large crev- nuush green 



ice or opening; less often they build their nests 

 in trees, making them of straw, twigs and 

 trash. They lay from four to six pale bluish 

 green eggs; size 1.15 x .85. Two broods are 

 reared in a season. 



BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, ETC. Family ICTERID^E 



1 



Urayish white 



-^- 



IPI'- BonoLiNK. Dolichoniid' oryzii^orus. 



Range. — Eastern North America, breeding from New Jersey north to Nova 

 Scotia and Manitoba, and west to Utah and Nevada; winters in South America. 

 This black and white bird is well known in tlie east, where his sweet, wild 

 music, often uttered on the wing, is much ad- 

 mired. He sings all day long during May and 

 June to his Sparrow-like mate, who is sitting 

 on her nest concealed in the 

 meadow grass. They are 

 quite sociable birds and sev- 

 eral pairs often nest in the 

 same field, generally a damp 

 meadow; the nests are hol- 

 lows in the ground, lined with 

 grass and frequently with the top slightly arch- 

 ed to conceal the eggs, which are grayish white, 

 clouded, spotted and blotched with brownish, 

 gray and lilac; size .84 x .62. They number from 

 four to six and are laid in June. 



\^9^- C'owHiRi). Molothrus (iter (tier. 



Range. — North America from the Atlantic 

 to eastern California, and from New Brunswick 

 and Manitoba southward; winters from the 

 southern half of the United States southward. 



These uncivilized members of the bird world 

 build no nests for themselves, but slyly deposit Bobolink 



3X4 



