The Starling {Stutmis vulgaris) 



By Henry W. Henshaw 



Length : About 8^2 inches. General color, dark purple or green with re- 

 Hections ; feathers above tipped with creamy buff. In flight and general appear- 

 ance unlike any native species. 



Range: At present most numerous near New York City. Has spread 

 to Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia 

 and recently to the District of Columbia ; resident where found, though wander- 

 ing southward in winter in search of food. 



The ( )ld World has sent us two bird pests, the English sparrow and the 

 starling. Although, up to the present time, we cannot convict the starling of 

 having done any great damage he has proclivities which make him potentially 

 very dangerous. Introduced into New York in 1890, the original sixty have 

 multiplied many fold and spread in all directions till now they occupy territory 

 hundreds of miles square, and are multiplying and spreading faster than ever. 

 ( )n the north they have entered Massachusetts and Connecticut, and on the 

 south they have reached Richmond, though only in migration. Even as I 

 write the calls of a flock of 200 or more can be heard coming from a neigh- 

 boring park, but as yet the bird has not elected to summer in the national 

 capital. The starling is a hardy prolific bird and is also aggressive. Like the 

 luiglish sparrow it associates in flocks, which is a great advantage in bird dis- 

 putes. There is little doubt that the effect of its increase and spread over our 

 country will prove disastrous to nati\e species such as the blue-birds, crested fly- 

 catchers, swallows, wrens and flickers, all valuable economic species, which 

 nest in cavities as does the starling. Then too the starling has a taste for 

 grain and small fruits, especially cherries, which will not commend it to our 

 farmers and orchardists. 



But the food of this handsome fellow is very varied, consisting mainly of 

 insects. They follow cows, sheep and horses to catch the insects stirred up 

 by their feet. 



The original home of this bird is Europe. About two hundred varieties 

 of the starling occur in various parts of Europe and Asia, but this introduced 

 species is the only true starling to be found in America. The starling was 

 originally given a place on the list of North American birds through record 

 of a specimen from Greenland. Several unsuccessful attempts were made 

 to introduce this bird into the LInited States before the last importation proved 

 only too successful. 



Like our other foreigner, the English sparrow, these birds take refuge about 

 the habitations of man, nesting in the crevices of buildings and hollow trees 

 and lately in branches of trees. Outside of the breeding season they congregate 

 in flocks about parks and orchards. Like our crow and meadowlark, the starling 

 i)rogresses on land by walking instead or hopping or running. 



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