88 Baby Birds at Home 



species called by farmers in the north of 

 England. 



As a singer the Starling does not rank 

 very high. It will stand on a chimney-pot 

 or tree-top excitedly shuffling its wings and 

 with puffed- out throat feathers imitate other 

 birds' notes, but has very few of its own. 



The nest is made of straw, hay, rootlets, 

 feathers, wool, pieces of string, or whatever 

 else may come in handy, and is placed in 

 holes in trees, roofs of houses, crevices of 

 rock, and amongst loose stones lying on steep 

 hillsides. 



The eggs are pale blue in colour and 

 number four, five, or six in a clutch. 



Young Starlings do not resemble their 

 parents in appearance. Instead of being 

 black, with green, purple, and bronzy sheen 

 reflections, they are of a uniform dull 

 greyish brown above and brownish white 

 underneath. 



Nestling Starlings are always very hungry 

 and very noisy, and when they fledge one 

 family joins another, until by the height of 

 summer we see great flocks going to roost 

 every evening, in some favourite wood or 

 shrubbery. 



