How the European Starling Conquered America

[@Merdle]

I am so glad to have found this!! I thought I had lost my mind because the small flock in my yard, was talking. Saying words almost. Wow

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Yeah they have quite the repertoire!

[@sawyerthestarling]

Mine has quite the vocabulary 😂 It's really amazing what they can do.

[@NathanWebb-c5h]

That was a good story about the European starling. Have a happy Valentine's day Derek and Ryan!

[@OwlPowerCreations]

Sidenote: Mozart kept a startling as a pet, very interesting story. Lyanda Lynn Haupt wrote a book about it

[@noseferachoo]

I think these are pretty birds and very talented mimics. ❤️

[@FauquierCountyBiridngYT]

I actually have been to Europe and surprisingly never saw one their yet in America I see them every 5 feet

[@pigeonfowl474]

In several parts of western Europe, starlings are in severe decline due to pesticide usage and destruction of wild grassland habitat, which destroys insect populations starlings rely on.

[@sawyerthestarling]

Just the United States has well over half the global population of starlings. That may be why you see them so often.

[@tiggie001]

I love them. 😢Please don't hurt them. They are sentient beings.

[@OrnithologyInsights]

They recently started coming to my bird feeders and they conquered my bird feeders. 😂

[@Surferess]

Really? What state are you in?

[@MaggieM.]

Same, had two come over in December. Couldn't believe my eyes.

[@stefangoldensteinwildlife9929]

The story is very crazy. Only ti bring birds because Shakespear written about them. Starlings are so cool and one of my favorite birds in germany. Greets Stefan

[@greggillson388]

Great research and word choices, Ryan!

[@aedenjohnson6103]

I believe starlings are a significant contributor to the decline of red headed woodpeckers.

[@WhistlesToAnimals]

I think I heard that half the time a red bellied woodpecker drills out a nest, starlings take it over. And that is why I don't feed them. What about the way they also compete with robins on grass looking for insects. I see that near me.

[@vistaprime]

@@WhistlesToAnimals not feeding them is not enough. get a starling trap.

[@WhistlesToAnimals]

@@vistaprime It wouldn't make any sense for me to get a starling trap because they just don't visit my yard hardly ever. The trap would just catch other birds and then the natives would be scared to come over. Not just that, but unless every person in America is going to try to run these birds out of the continent, they will just come back. Trying to reduce their population is like pushing water in an ocean: you might be successful for a bit, but then the water will just rush back in again.

[@vistaprime]

@@WhistlesToAnimals I see what you are saying but they cull 50,000 a year in British Columbia, if this caught on they would be eradicated here in shorter span than the passenger pigeon which was more numerous. we put sparrow out a trap 4 years ago and have never seen the same amount of sparrows at our feeders since, and the traps did nothing to discourage the other native birds.

[@WhistlesToAnimals]

@@vistaprime There is a big difference between the passenger pigeon and starlings. Money makes the world go round. There was a profit motive to kill / hunt the passenger pigeons. Everything that is effective is profit driven. There isn't a profit motive for people to trap or shoot enough starlings to eradicate them. My yard and environment is very different than yours. I have a tiny yard, so tiny that the birds know me and will run into me if they want something to eat so they will see me refill their feeders. Everything I do in my yard is seen by wildlife as there are trees above me and that there isn't a place to hide from their eyes. If I started trapping anything, that would send out bag signals to the animals that stop by--I know my visitors. Unless people will be paid to take out starlings, most people wouldn't know what they even are. Lots of people that feed birds don't even know what starlings are.

[@dplj4428]

1:40 they can imitate anything they hear, even electronic devices.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

True!

[@rerolley]

I must say I am not a fan of them. They were constantly trying to nest in our gutters until we got new gutter guards. They also compete for nest sites with Kestrels.

[@Jps3bs]

I always heard that the reason European Starlings are here because the people that came over to the New World wanted to see the familiar birds of their homeland..England. I do consider them invasive (take over bluebird habitat) but still feed them because they are here and I care about all creatures 😊 Very well done video 👍

[@grantwest7942]

If you truly cared about all creatures then you won’t feed them. They have had a huge negative impact on our songbird biodiversity and populations here in North America. Unless of course you live where they are native which I don’t believe is the case.

[@kiwi6421]

​@@grantwest7942How do you avoid feeding them when you're feeding other birds though, that's the problem I'm struggling with. They love the food I put out for the chickadees

[@grantwest7942]

@@kiwi6421 you start planting natives that attract native insects and feed the native birds with their seeds and fruits. Try to start shifting away from bird feeding which is more for humans than birds and lean into gardening for birds. Bird feeding tends to be most beneficial for invasive birds like starlings and house sparrows who are just looking for easy meals. That being said if you are going to feed them seeds look into straight safflower. Starlings tend to avoid this or if they do go for it not nearly as much as other seeds.

[@kiwi6421]

@@grantwest7942 I live in an apartment with no place to plant a garden. Bird feeders are my only option.

[@grantwest7942]

@@kiwi6421 no that’s not true. If you have a balcony which I’m assuming you do because of the bird feeding you can grow things in containers. There’s plenty of options and plants that can thrive in pots.

[@adamcourtenay]

yet in London - north American grey pigeons and squirrels are everywhere mixed in with Indian parakeets and a few native species

[@BadgerlandBirding]

What’s a North American grey pigeon? If it’s common feral pigeons those are actually nonnative in the USA as well

[@jurassic_hobbyonmyaltaccou3878]

I went too a beautiful place yesterday were I saw my lifer hen harrier! And it’s only 15 min from my house aswell

[@outdoorztime2923]

We could replace Dove Season with Starlin Season - just a thought.

[@sparkkie804]

Starlings nested in my fan vent from my bathroom and somehow managed to peck through the metal flexible duct and get into my attic lol

[@dplj4428]

I see them in vents of some buildings. Wouldn't surprise me if that might be a disease source.

[@miriahheim]

I know they compete with red bellied woodpeckers and that alone makes them my nemesis.

[@WhistlesToAnimals]

OK...how did you know all this stuff? Sounds like you have been consulting a couple ornithologists or bought books on the topic. I knew some of this, but not all. One good thing about starlings is that they will make alarm calls if they see a cat in the area. I once witnessed a lone starling telling all the other birds and squirrels to watch out, and that earned a little respect from me. My suet feeders are downward facing so they can't access them. And I'll only put out mealworms if I see robins nearby (who would know me), so that solves that issue. That just leaves the rare visit to my bird bath, and that is OK with me. My mentality is to preserve things as they are (or were) and how it is supposed to be. I know a lot of people don't understand that.

[@CJM-rg5rt]

Are there other birds that look like this? I see a lot of dark road kill birds about their size with this type of emerald sheen.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@CJM-rg5rt could they be Common Grackles?

[@CJM-rg5rt]

​​@@BadgerlandBirdingHuh thanks, I'll have to take a closer look next time. I definitely don't remember them having white speckles so maybe it was. I'd rather them be non-native but there's a reason they succeed.

[@leestamm3187]

​@@BadgerlandBirding Aside from their generally dark color, Grackles have little in common with Starlings. Grackles are larger, with much longer tails and a dark bill.

[@MarySanchez-qk3hp]

You should mention Mozart had a pet starling, named it Starrenvogel and taught it to whistle a little of his music. It's interesting that you say they destroy crops, because another legend I'd heard was that they'd also been introduced to control insectivorous crop pests.

[@Illinoisoutdoorsvids]

I think they look cool and are great to photograph but they dominate feeders. Today a downy Woodpecker was on my deck rail for few minutes just waiting for a starling to leave the suet.

[@sawyerthestarling]

The amount of bad information in this comment section that it reads like a joke book. 😂 Starlings didn't invade anything and they are established. They aren't going anywhere here in the U.S. I agree with eradication efforts but it's really just a sport like flying carp fishing. Starlings have no legal protections so you're welcome to kill as many as you need to feel better about something that is never going to happen. People are outright mad at a little bird for just trying to survive. Lol. I'm glad I found mine because he saved me. I live with a starling, ask me anything. 😊 Edited to correct spelling error.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Sawyer is adorable!

[@sawyerthestarling]

@BadgerlandBirding Thank you! I appreciate the accuracy of your video more than I can express. So many people hate them by design without even thinking about what is true. There are many negatives to having a large population of starlings that are out of place but they aren't "evil." This is by far the truest and most accurate video representation of a species with so many untrue stigmas attached. I greatly appreciate the informative and true take you offered. 🥰

[@therian_talonsoflife]

I have to tell the truth, I don't hate starlings, I like them for their appearance and name. But they are a problem as well as a faint solution. Happy Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day!

[@jurassic_hobbyonmyaltaccou3878]

European starlings always raid my feeders

[@robmetzger8616]

Rat birds