European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

 

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The European Starling was brought tp North America in 1890 and is now one of the most abundant species in North America.   They are found from from southeast Alaska, across southern Canada and south throughout the United States to Mexico.   

They are usually found in flocks when not nesting and may gather in big roosts that number in the tens of thousands.

Ken Kaufmann in his BIRDS of North America says Starlings nest in holes in trees, birdhouses, crevices in buildings, etc., competing with native birds for nest sites, even evicting woodpeckers from their own holes.

The Audubon Handbook of Eastern Birds says they are found almost everywhere, but especially in areas associated with man's activities.

Starlings are highly gregarious, their large flocks occurring in fields  and on lawns, often with cowbirds, grackles and blackbirds.

While their plumage is primarily black, they have a green and purple gloss in spring and summer.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder