Invasive Species Paper

The English starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is also known as the European starling
and the common starling. It is about the size of a robin, but the tail is smaller. They are
iridescent black with hints of green and purple. English starlings develop white spots on
their plumage in the fall, which fades by during the winter. In March, their bills change
from black to yellow (Stevens, 1997). The English starling is native to Europe, Asia, and
North Africa, but has spread throughout the world, becoming established in New
Zealand, Australia, South Africa and North America. The North American starling
population originated from approximately 100 birds that were released in Central Park in
the early 1890’s in an attempt to introduce all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s
works to North America. The introduction of the starlings was very successful; the
current population is estimated to be 150-200 million birds. One reason for the success
of the English starlings is that they are habitat generalists: they are prolific in their
natural habitat and tend to form large flocks that can number over 1,000. In their natural
and introduced habitats, they are able to exploit a variety of food sources, including
invertebrates, fruits, and seeds; they are successful in many different habitats including
fields, marshes, agricultural fields, garbage dumps, sewage treatment plants, and cities.
Because of their numbers, they can be extremely destructive and will compete with
livestock for their feed and strip a field of any seeds that have been sown. They also
destroy berry and fruit crops. Starlings are very aggressive and will drive birds (including
native species) out of their nests so they can occupy the nesting site. Their nests of
choice are in hollows of trees, such as those carved out by woodpeckers, but they will
roost in buildings, in bird houses, under shingles, on cliff faces or in cracks in buildings.
The aggressive nature of the starlings for nesting space has had a great impact on