starling

Any member of a large widespread Old World family (Sturnidae) of chunky, dark, generally gregarious birds of the order Passeriformes. The European starling Sturnus vulgaris, common in northern Eurasia, has been naturalized in North America from the late 19th century. The black, speckled plumage is glossed with green and purple. The feathers on the upper parts are tipped with buff, and the wings are greyish-black, with a reddish-brown fringe. The female is less glossy and lustrous than the male. Its own call is a bright whistle, but it is a mimic of the songs of other birds. It is about 20 cm/8 in long.

Strikingly gregarious in feeding, flight, and roosting, it often becomes a pest in large cities, where it becomes attached to certain buildings as ‘dormitories’, returning each night from omnivorous foraging in the countryside, feeding principally on worms, snails, and insects. Nests are made almost anywhere, and about five pale blue eggs are laid. If disturbed, starlings have been known to lay eggs in the nests of other birds before starting a new nest with their mate elsewhere. For the rose-coloured starling, see pastor.