European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris

In winter, the European Starling’s brown plumage is adorned with white spots; in summer, it is iridescent. The optical phenomenon of iridescence creates beautiful green and purple highlights in the starling’s feathers.

A bird of the city and the country, the European Starling, as its name suggests, originally came from Europe. It likes fields, uncultivated areas and forest edges, and adapts very well to city life. Its distribution and abundance are closely related to the presence of humans. The commensal relationship between human beings and certain species that aren’t picky eaters is evident wherever people discard their leftovers. Because it is omnivorous, the starling always finds something it can eat: insects, fruit, seeds and garbage.

Starlings band together and form large flocks for the night that can include up to 100,000 individuals. This phenomenon is primarily observed in agricultural areas, and the flocks can cause major crop damage.

These birds build their nests, made of straw, twigs and grass, in natural cavities or any other spot that is sheltered from bad weather: lamp posts, mailboxes, dryer outlet hoses, etc. A clutch contains four to six eggs and both adults incubate them for 11 to 12 days. The young remain in the nest for 14 to 23 days. They continue to depend on their parents for another 4 to 12 days after leaving the nest. They have grey plumage and can be seen after fledging, walking around in their parents’ company.

The European Starling is an exceptional mimic. Its repertoire includes the songs of no fewer than 50 other species of birds, including the House Sparrow, Killdeer, Red-winged Blackbird and American Goldfinch. It can also do perfect imitations of a cat meowing, a dog barking or a cow mooing.