356 



STARLINGS 



local fluctuations in their numbers due to the influences of the pairing 

 and flocking season and of the food supply. Continuous residence, as 

 with the English Sparrow, not only implies the possession of powers 

 of endurance and adaptability, but gives an advantage over species 

 with which there may be conflict over the possession of a nesting-site. 



Such conflict occurs with the 

 English Sparrow, but the latter 

 nests in so great a variety of 

 places that it readily abandons 

 one for another. With the Blue- 

 bird this is not so, and it is this 

 species,, more than any other, 

 which is threatened by the 

 Starling. 



At the present rate of in- 

 crease it is clear that within two 

 decades the Starling will occupy 

 the greater part of the eastern 

 States, and unless its spread 

 westward be prevented by the 

 plains, it may eventually be as 

 widely distributed as the English 

 Sparrow. It has not as yet been 

 FIG. 98. Starling^wjnter plumage. decided whether, from an eco- 

 nomic standpoint, the Starling is 



a desirable addition to our avifauna; but in spite of his undoubted claims 

 to our interest, he is a distinctly foreign element in our bird-life, and 

 seems out of place among those species with which we share the bond 

 of a birthplace in common. 



About New York City the Starling is among the first birds to nest, 

 and the harsh, grating food-call of the young may be heard by May 15. 

 Here apparently but one brood is raised and young and old begin to 

 flock the latter part of May, forming the nucleus of gatherings which 

 in late summer and fall contain several thousand birds. Their aerial 

 evolutions admirably demonstrate the unity of spirit which appears 

 to control the movements of birds in flocks, and are performed with a 

 precision which suggests long training and instant obedience. 



The call of the male is a high, clear, rather long-drawn, ascending 

 whistle, which may be easily imitated. This appears in its song, which 

 is a choking, gasping, guttural soliloquy, with imitations of the notes 

 of other birds interspersed. The flocking chorus is an indescribable 

 chattering. On a number of occasions I have heard Starlings utter 

 notes resembling those of the Wood Pewee (see page 344) but whether 

 they were natural or acquired must be determined by some observer 

 in the Old World. 



Starlings are walkers, not hoppers, and aside from color, may be 

 known by their long, pointed wings, and short, square tail. 



