Like the English Sparrow, the Common Starling has become a Naturalized American Citizen. He was introduced from Europe in 1890, when sixty of his kind were released in Central Park, New York City. He is a very permanent resident wherever he has spread, and, because of the fact that he often ousts local or native birds, he is somewhat objectionable.

Song: The song of the Starling has many attractive notes. The whistles are especially appreciated by city dwellers who seldom hear the songs of more gifted birds. An indescribable jumble of notes characterizes the remainder of the Starling’s musical efforts. William H. Hudson has written a very good description of this bird’s song—“His merit lies less in the quality of the sounds he utters than in their endless variety. In a leisurely way he will sometimes ramble on for an hour, whistling and warbling very agreeably, mingling his finer notes with chatterings, squealings and sounds as of snapping the fingers.”

Nest: The Starling will build in crevices of buildings, in hollow trees or in bird houses erected for the use of other birds. The nesting material consists of grasses, straw, twigs and other available material. The eggs, four to six in number, are of a pale bluish color.

Food: The Starling eats a great number of insects. Cultivated cherries, unfortunately, also, are very well liked by the bird who feeds upon them quite often during the breeding season.

Remarks: The plumage of the male Starling is quite beautiful. It is of an irridescent, metallic color in the spring and summer. In the winter, a brownish gray obscures the more brilliant colors. The bill of the bird is yellow in summer, but dark horn-color in winter.