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Sturnus vulgaris

Summary 7

The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), also known as the European Starling or in the British Isles just the Starling, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family Sturnidae. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has glossy black plumage, which is speckled with white at some times of year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. It is a...

Distribution 8

Global Range: Native to Eurasia; introduced in the U.S. in New York City in 1890. Now breeds from southeastern Alaska, across southern Canada, south through most of U.S. to southern Mexico; also in Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico (very local in the late 1980s). Periodically reported from St. Croix, Virgin Islands. Reported casually in Hawaii.

Size 9

Length: 22 cm

Weight: 85 grams

Look alikes 10

The physical characteristic noted above should be sufficient to identify S. vulgaris by sight. The species is noted to be an accomplished mimic, however, and misidentification of the vocalizations of this species is therefore possible (Chow 2000).

Habitat and ecology 11

Systems

  • Terrestrial
  • Marine

Migration 12

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Resident throughout most its range, but some individuals migrate (mid-February to early March, late September to November).

Population biology 13

S. vulgaris is one of the world's most abundant birds (Kahane 1988; Craig and Feare 1999).The 1994 U.S. S. vulgaris population was estimated at 140 million birds and the expanding population is likely now to be substantially larger. Migrating flocks may consist of up to 3,000 individuals (Chow, Kern 2001).In the late spring through late summer, starlings are commonly encountered in Florida as dispersed pairs. In the fall and winter, they aggregate as large migrating flocks, although a year-round Florida population exists as well (Chow 200, Kern 2001).

Ecology 14

Nonbreeding: often gathers in large roosts. Often occurs in large mixed flocks with black-birds, cowbirds, and grackles (in summer and fall in northeastern U.S., Caccamise et al. 1983).

Commonly usurps the nest sites of native cavity-nesting birds (e.g., bluebirds, woodpeckers). However, an examination of Christmas Bird Count and Breeding Bird Survey data found that few, if any, native species have showed significant declines that could be attributed to starling competition. Only sapsuckers exhibited declines potentially attributable to starlings that were not countered by other data (Koenig 2003).

Communication and perception 15

European starlings are highly vocal all year long except when they are molting, when they are silent. The songs of males are highly variable and have many components. They warble, click, whistle, creak, chirrup, and gurgle. European starlings are also accomplished mimics, often copying songs or sounds of other birds and animals (frog calls, goats, cats), or even of mechanical sounds. European starlings can be trained to mimic human sounds in captivity. Other calls include a "querrr?" sound used while in flight, a metallic 'chip' that warns of a predator's presence, and a snarling call made while attacking intruders.

Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical

Lifespan/longevity 16

One wild European starling lived for 15 years and 3 months. Captive birds may be expected to have maximum lifespans of slightly longer than this.

Range lifespan
Status: wild: 15.0 (high) years.

Average lifespan
Status: wild: 183 months.

Reproduction 17

Clutch size 4-9 (usually 5-7). Incubation by both sexes in turn, 12-15 days. Altricial, downy nestlings fed by parents for 20-22 days (Harrison 1978). One to 3 broods per year. Female may lay egg in nest of another starling. Polygyny and communal breeding have been documented (see Pinxton et al., 1994, Auk 111:482-486).

Growth 18

Nest incubation lasts from 11-15 days. Nesting duties are shared between males and females, but females possess a more prominent incubation patch (a defeathered abdominal area with thickened skin and a rich blood vessel bed) and incubate the eggs for the majority of time.Hatchlings are helpless at birth and feeding and nestkeeping chores are shared by both parents. Male parental care is minimal for clutches they may sire late in the season. Young are fed only soft animal fird initially, and over time the diet expands to include a vider variety of animal and plant material. Young remain in the nest for 21-23 days and may rely on parents to feed them for a few days beyond this. Young birds leave the nest to form flocks with other young birds (Kahane 1988, Craig and Feare 1999, Chow 2000, CWBO 2004).

Iucn red list assessment 19


Red List Category
LC
Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version
3.1

Year Assessed
2014

Assessor/s
BirdLife International

Reviewer/s
Butchart, S.

Contributor/s

Justification
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History
  • 2012
    Least Concern

Threats 20

The dramatic decline of this species, formerly one of our commonest and most familiar birds is thought to be due to the widespread loss of permanent pasture, an important feeding habitat, as a result of the intensification of agriculture (7).

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Arthur Chapman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/32005048@N06/6164665952
  2. (c) Yves Picq http://veton.picq.fr, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Limay_27_10_04_195.jpg/460px-Limay_27_10_04_195.jpg
  3. (c) Nevit Dilmen, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Sturnus_vulgaris_London_1100194.jpg
  4. (c) 4028mdk09, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/D%C3%BCnenkamm_mit_Staren.JPG
  5. Vytauto, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Starling.JPG
  6. (c) PierreSelim, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Toulouse_-_Sturnus_vulgaris_-_2012-02-26_-_1.jpg
  7. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturnus_vulgaris
  8. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28916963
  9. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28916975
  10. (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526843
  11. (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31275396
  12. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28916971
  13. (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526844
  14. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28916970
  15. (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25067170
  16. (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25067169
  17. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28916969
  18. (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526842
  19. (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31275394
  20. (c) Wildscreen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/6684424

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