Starlings in North America

Abstract

The starling has a wide distribution in its native European-Asian range. It mostly eats insects and worms, with fruits and seeds only as emergency supplies. At migration times, it forms large flocks that move in ever-changing formations. From their introduction in 1890, it took about 80 years for starlings to spread over the parts of the North American continent with a—for them—suitable climate. They compete with native species primarily for nesting places. Rachel Carson saw their insect consumption as a positive factor and wanted to give them “citizenship papers.” But others access their economic impact to be negative to the tune of many 100 million dollars annually. Their number in 1970 was estimated to 200 million. Since then, the population has slowly but steadily declined, on an average by just over 1% a year, and the current count is about 140 million.

The US authorities still regard starlings as pests and devote comparatively large resources to combat them.

“Without seeming to care whether the benefiting farmer thanks him or reviles him, he hurries with jerky steps about the farms and gardens in the summer time, carring more than 100 loads of destructive insects per day to his screaming offspring, cramming his own stomach full of such foods as Japanese beetles , caterpillars, and cutworms. With complete indifference to angry protests, he finds roosting places in warm cities in the winter, going out each morning, a faithful commuter in reverse, to earn his bread in the surrounding countryside.”

Rachel Carson (researcher)