Sturnus Vulgaris *Some people do have this bird as a pet but it is not commonly known.

•  Lay eggs 8-11AM •  Starlings are great vocal

mimics; earn the calls of up to 20 different species

•  oldest recorded wild European Starling was 15 years 9 months old

•  can tell the difference between sucrose (table sugar) and other kinds of sugars; helpful since starlings lack the ability to digest sucrose

•  populations decreased by just over 1 percent per year between 1966 and 2010

•  European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s. The birds were intentionally released by a group who wanted America to have all the birds

Grasshopper

Soil, Grass

ñ Earthworms

Starling

Falcons

Caterpillars

ñ

ññ

ñ

1. Adult Breeding; overall glossy and black, pale spots on back, brownish wings, iridescent purple and green

2. Non-Breeding; bright white spots, short square tail, black and white under tail

3. Juvenile; dull grayish overall, short tail fairly long wings, straight black bill

3 1

2

Habitat: Starlings typically live around people, mowed laws or city streets

Require: open grassy areas, water source, suitable trees or buildings for Avoid: large, unbroken stretches of forest,

chaparral, and desert

•  Starlings are boisterous, loud, and they travel in large groups (often with blackbirds and grackles)

Resources

�  http://www.sialis.org/starlingbio.htm

�  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/European_Starling/lifehistory#at_behavior