European Starling

Description:

This is a medium sized bird that is dark in color. The plumage of adults in the non-breeding season is brown with white spots. During the breeding season birds are black throughout and their plumage has a purplish green iridescent coloring. Starlings have pink legs, short tails, and a long slender bill. The bill is black in the winter and yellow in the summer.

Habitat:

Habitat includes: urban, suburban, and rural areas. Starlings are not often found in areas where the natural habitat is undisturbed such as forests, scrubs, or deserts. They are found throughout North America, northern Mexico, and the northern areas of Central America. Nesting: Males choose the nesting site and begin building the nest. Females complete the construction of the nest. Nest sites include but are not limited to cavities such as an old woodpecker hole, hollows in trees, holes in giant cacti, or nesting boxes. Starlings also nest in burrows, on cliffs, and in and around man made structures. Nesting materials include grass, pine needles, trash, string, feathers, bark, leaves, and they generally add fresh green plant life while the nest is in use. The European starling has 1-2 broods per year with a clutch size of 3-6 eggs. Ref: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird... https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Euro...

Notes:

I was so excited when by happenstance I found this nesting starling. I believe one of the photos included shows one of the babies! It was so fun observing their behavior. Fun Facts: According to research all European Starlings are descendants of a group of birds that were released in New York in the 1890's! There are more than 200 million European Starlings inhabiting the continental U.S. and northern Mexico. European Starlings can reach flying speeds of up to 48 miles per hour. The oldest recorded European Starling was 15 years and 3 months old and was found in Tennessee. Ref: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Euro...