European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Quick Facts

Scientific Name: Sturnus vulgaris
Family: Sturnidae
Size: 19-22 cm (7.5-8.7 inches)
Wingspan: 31-40 cm (12-16 inches)
Weight: 60-100 g (2.1-3.5 oz)

Conservation Status

IUCN Status: Least Concern
UK Status: Red List
Population Trend: Severe decline in the UK, down 66% since 1970s

Worldwide Distribution

The European Starling can be found in:

Throughout Europe, including all of the British Isles
Introduced to North America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa
Western and Central Asia
Year-round resident in the UK
One of the world’s most successful introduced species
Present in all UK counties and habitats

Spotting Difficulty Rating

🔍 (1/5 – Very Easy)

Extremely common and conspicuous
Found in urban, suburban, and rural environments
Highly social, often seen in large flocks
Distinctive shape, behavior, and vocalizations make identification simple

Habitat and Behavior

The European Starling is one of Britain’s most familiar and adaptable birds, instantly recognizable by its compact, triangular-winged silhouette and confident, bustling demeanor. In breeding plumage, adults display an iridescent black coat with purple and green sheens, adorned with pale spots that become more prominent in winter. Their bright yellow bills and orange legs add to their striking appearance, while juveniles appear duller brown-grey with darker bills.

These highly intelligent and social birds thrive in virtually every habitat, from city centers to remote moorland, though they show a particular affinity for areas where short grass meets trees or buildings. They are ground feeders par excellence, using their strong, pointed bills to probe lawns, fields, and waste ground for invertebrates, particularly leatherjackets (crane fly larvae), earthworms, and beetles. Their feeding technique involves a distinctive “gaping” behavior, inserting their closed bill into soil or turf and then opening it to create a hole.

Starlings are renowned for their spectacular murmurations – vast flocks that perform mesmerizing aerial ballets over roosting sites, particularly in autumn and winter. These gatherings can number in the hundreds of thousands, creating some of nature’s most breathtaking displays. They nest colonially in cavities, showing remarkable adaptability in site selection, from traditional tree holes to building crevices, nest boxes, and even traffic lights.

Perhaps most remarkably, Starlings are exceptional mimics, capable of reproducing the songs of other birds, mechanical sounds, and even human speech. Their own song is a complex medley of whistles, clicks, rattles, and warbles, often delivered from prominent perches while the bird fluffs its feathers and points its bill skyward. They are equally vocal year-round, maintaining contact with harsh chattering calls and melodious warbling.

Cultural History

The Starling’s relationship with human culture is complex and contradictory, embodying both admiration and frustration in equal measure. In British folklore, Starlings were traditionally associated with communication and community due to their highly social nature and vocal abilities. Their capacity for mimicry led to them being kept as cage birds in medieval and Victorian times, prized for their ability to learn human speech and musical phrases.

The species gained literary fame through Shakespeare’s “Henry IV, Part 1,” where Hotspur mentions a starling that “shall be taught to speak nothing but ‘Mortimer.’” This reference inadvertently contributed to one of history’s most consequential biological introductions when Eugene Schieffelin released 60 Starlings in New York’s Central Park in 1890, allegedly as part of a plan to introduce all birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s works to America.

In agricultural communities, Starlings have long been viewed with ambivalence. Farmers have alternately celebrated them as voracious consumers of pest insects and cursed them as raiders of fruit crops and grain stores. This duality is reflected in old countryside sayings: “Starlings in the stubble, harvest will be double” (referring to their consumption of pest insects) contrasted with “Starlings in the cherry tree, empty bowls for you and me.”

The Victorian era saw Starlings become symbols of urban adaptation and industrialization. Their success in colonizing cities was seen as emblematic of nature’s resilience in the face of human progress. Charles Dickens wrote admiringly of London’s Starling roosts, comparing their evening gatherings to “the spirits of the air.”

Modern conservation efforts have transformed the Starling’s cultural status from pest to protected species. Their dramatic population decline has made them unlikely conservation icons, with murmuration-watching becoming a popular wildlife tourism activity. The RSPB’s campaigns have helped shift public perception, emphasizing their ecological importance and the mystery surrounding their decline.

Fun Facts

🎭 They’re master mimics, capable of imitating over 20 different bird species and mechanical sounds like car alarms

🌟 Murmurations can contain over a million birds moving as a single, fluid entity

📉 Despite being common, UK Starling numbers have crashed by 66% since the 1970s – nobody knows exactly why

🏠 They’re cavity nesters but incredibly adaptable – they’ve been found nesting in letterboxes, traffic lights, and even active machinery

✨ Their iridescent plumage is created by microscopic structures that scatter light, not pigments

🎵 Each male can have a repertoire of over 35 different song types

🍒 A single Starling can eat up to 100 leatherjackets (crane fly larvae) per day, making them valuable pest controllers

🧭 They navigate during murmurations using polarized light patterns invisible to human eyes

Best Places to Spot a Starling in the UK

Brighton and Hove seafront – spectacular murmurations
Aberystwyth Pier, Wales – famous murmuration site
Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire – winter roosts
Somerset Levels – vast murmurations over reedbeds
Gretna Green, Scotland – major roosting site
Urban parks throughout the UK – year-round residents
Farmland edges anywhere in Britain
Blackpool seafront – dramatic winter displays

Recommended Viewing Tips

Best murmuration viewing is 1-2 hours before sunset in autumn and winter
Look for feeding flocks on short grass in parks, sports fields, and pastures
Listen for their varied calls and mimicry from rooftops and aerials
Check nest sites in spring – they’re noisy and obvious when breeding
Winter roosts form in reedbeds, woodlands, and urban areas
Bring binoculars to appreciate their stunning iridescent plumage
Photography is best in good light to capture their metallic sheen

Conservation Notes

The Starling’s decline represents one of modern conservation’s greatest puzzles:

Population has crashed by 66% since the 1970s with no clear single cause
Possible factors include agricultural intensification, reduced invertebrate prey, and climate change
Urban populations appear more stable than rural ones
Nest site provision through boxes may help in some areas
Research continues into the causes of their mysterious decline
Citizen science projects monitor murmuration sites and breeding success
Their decline highlights the fragility of even seemingly common species