Latin name

Sturnus vulgaris

 

Family

Starlings (Sturnidae)

 

Distribution 

Conspicuous and widespread in the UK, occurring everywhere except for the highest parts of the Scottish Highlands. They are most abundant in southern England and are more thinly distributed in upland areas with moorland. Still one of the UK's commonest garden birds. Huge roosts are found in plantations, reed beds and city centres.

 

Habitat

They like areas with scattered trees, including parks and gardens. They also frequent cultivated areas and moorland. They are also seen in city centres roosting on buildings and in trees.

 

When to see them

Large numbers arrive in autumn to spend the winter here.

 

Size

22cm (8.7in)

 

Life-span

Average - 2.5 years

Oldest known - 22 years 

 

Food

Insects and fruit.

A murmuration of starlings is an amazing sight - a swooping mass of thousands of birds whirling in the sky above your head.

 

What's going on?

It's basically a mass aerial stunt - thousands of birds all swooping and diving in unison. It's completely breathtaking to witness.

 

We think that starlings do it for many reasons. Grouping together offers safety in numbers – predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands.

 

They also gather to keep warm at night and to exchange information, such as good feeding areas.

 

They gather over their roosting site, and perform their wheeling stunts before they roost for the night.

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Despite the incredible size of the flocks, starling numbers are just a fraction of what they used to be. Huge starling flocks used to gather over Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast, but today you have a much better chance of seeing the birds in rural areas.

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The starling population has fallen by over 80% in recent years, meaning they are now on the critical list of UK birds most at risk.

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The decline is believed to be due to the loss of permanent pasture, increased use of farm chemicals and a shortage of food and nesting sites in many parts of the UK.

The fortunes of starlings are closely linked to human activities.

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By converting other habitats such as woodland into open farmland, and erecting buildings, people have provided them with food and nest sites. People have, therefore, been instrumental in creating the present high population in Europe and Asia.

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Starlings eat large numbers of invertebrates, many of which are crop pests. Therefore, in many countries starlings are considered to be beneficial and encouraged with nest boxes. The preference for crops during the autumn and winter months brings the starling into conflict with people.

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Within their winter range there have been many failed efforts to reduce starling numbers to protect crops. The main conflict areas are cherry orchards (and on the continent also vineyards), autumn sown cereal, and cattle feeding troughs. The droppings produced at the roost can make a large roost unwelcome, whether it is in a woodland or in a town centre.

Starlings are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it illegal to intentionally kill, injure or take a starling, or to take, damage or destroy an active nest or its contents.

 

Preventing the birds from gaining access to their nests may also be viewed as illegal by the courts. It is therefore important to check for active nests before any repairs to roofs and soffits are carried out during the breeding season.

 

The provision to control starlings under a general licence was removed from the Act in England and Wales, making the species fully protected in England and Wales.

 

Starlings are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

 

However, general licences issued under the Act are still in place in Scotland, and under the Wildlife Order in Northern Ireland. These allow an authorised person to control starlings to prevent serious damage to agriculture or preserve public health and safety. The RSPB believes that this should only be done if there is no alternative solution.

 

An 'authorised person' is usually the landowner or occupier or his/her agent. Do note that nuisance or damage to property are not legitimate reasons for control, and as such a roof nest cannot legally be removed in the RSPB's opinion, unless it can be demonstrated that removal was undertaken under the terms of one of the government licences.

Starlings nest in holes and cavities, especially in trees, but often use holes in buildings, including occupied houses, and nestboxes.

They nest in loose colonies and do not establish and defend a proper territory - only the immediate area around the nesting cavity is defended. The whole colony feeds communally in what is termed a home range.

 

To attract a mate, the male builds the base of the nest from dry grass and leaves in a hole and sings from perches close to the nest entrance. The female completes the nest by making a nest cup and lining it with fine grasses, moss and feathers.

 

Starlings usually lay 4-6 eggs in mid-April. All birds within a colony start to lay eggs within a few days. The female does the majority of the incubation; the chicks hatch 12 days later.

 

Only the female broods the chicks, although both parents feed them. They are fed entirely on insects and their larvae, spiders and earthworms for 12 days, after which the diet is more varied.

 

The young fledge when about three weeks old and are fed for a week or two until they are independent. Because the nests are in holes, they are protected from predators and many other dangers. As a result, over 70% of eggs laid produce fledged young.

Most failures are caused by infertility, and at the chick stage by starvation. Normally, only one brood is raised in a year, but if the first clutch is laid early and is successful, a second clutch may follow.

Overview