PoiteCUDUBON BULLETIN 
Published Quarterly by the 
Pees) seen Ue DUB ON, 8.0.6 DED. 
2001 NorTH CLARK STREET, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 
Number 34 June, 1940 
The European Starling — Friend or Foe? 
By Louis G. FLENTGE 
SEVERAL EARLY attempts at introducing the starling in this country ended 
in complete failure. This seems strange when the spread of this bird, once 
it got a foothold, is known. 
A few birds were released in Cincinnati in the winter of 1872-73, and a 
few more in subsequent years, but no permanent colony was established. 
An attempt to introduce the bird was made in Quebec in 1875. Seventy 
birds were released near Portland by the Portland Song Bird Club in 1889 
and 1892. The records of the club indicate that a small colony was estab- 
lished from this planting and a few were still to be seen there about 1900. 
Attempts were made at Central Park, New York; Springfield, Massachu- 
setts; Bay Ridge, New York; Allegheny, Pennsylvania; and Tuxedo Park, 
New York; but no permanent colony could be established. In 1890 the 
Portland Song Bird Club liberated forty pairs in New York City. In 1891 
forty more pairs were released. Several pairs bred in 1891 from this 
planting, and by 1895 the bird was fairly common in and around New York 
City. From then on the spread of this bird is well known to students of 
ornithology. 
In 1900 it was recorded as breeding in western Connecticut and northern 
New Jersey. By 1910 it was breeding in most of New Jersey, Connecticut, 
and Rhode Island as well as the lower Hudson River Valley and part of 
Massachusetts. In 1916 the bird crossed the Allegheny Mountains, and by 
1927 had reached as far west as Kansas; as far south as Florida, Alabama 
and Texas; and as far north as Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, and 
almost completely covered the Mississippi River Valley. 
Even in areas where the starling is a common bird an uncertainty 
exists as to its identification. The great difference between young and old 
birds and the change in plumage of the old birds leads to confusion. There 
are several conspicuous marks of identification and, when known, one will 
have little difficulty in identifying the bird. 
The starling is about eight and one-half inches long, and has a long 
sharp bill. Throughout the spring to the first of June, the bird is nearly 
black. By the first of October the bird has completed the molt, and each 
of the feathers of the head, breast, flanks, and underparts is tipped with 
white, giving a mottled appearance. The bird at this time is rather hand- 
some with its iridescent reflections of purple, green, blue and bronze. 
During the winter the white tips of the feathers wear off leaving the bird 
a 
