Starling

Description

The starling is probably one of the birds most familiar of the moderated areas, with its body rondelet, its short, triangular and pointed wings, its short and square tail. The adult in summer is black and shining with reflections verts ; in winter, its plumage similar, but is moucheté of white on the back and the ventre.
Nozzle conical, long, fine, pointed and yellow sharp, long and fine legs, brown rosy, dark brown eye, the species presents discrete a sexual Dimorphisme: the female is duller, but presents more spots on the ventral face. The youthful ones are of brown a terne ; in their first winter, they resemble to the adults, but are brown, especially on the head.

The species can hardly be confused with the others but in the Iberian peninsula, in winter, where it should be distinguished from the very close species S. unicolor , which as its name indicates it, has less of spots on its plumage.

Length: from 17 to 21 cm
Weight: 60 to 95 grams
Scale: 37 cm

The starling walks, rather than to hop. Its flight is energetic and direct, thanks to its short wings and with its tail.

Sociability: 1 to 100000

Habitat

It is very abundant in all the Europe but also in minor Asia, Russia and until Mongolia.

It is sedentary in Europe of the South and the West, but the Scandinavian and Eastern populations migrate in winter towards these areas, and even further towards the south, on all the circumference the Mediterranean N.

The starling puts up with a great number of habitats, and one can find it in all the rather open environments, of the arable lands to the salt meadow lambs.

This adaptable species and Omnivore are regarded as vermin in many countries where it was introduced. The starling niche in holes and this influenced the indigenous species because of the competition for the sites of nesting.

Biology

When it is migrating it constitutes immense bands which are organized in dormitories for the night. It is opportunist and Omnivore, its leaning for the fruits (cherries, olives, grape…) fact that he is appreciated little by the farmers in Western Europe and Mediterranean, but he is appreciated by those of Eastern Europe because he is primarily insectivorous there.

It is a highly gregarious species which forms enormous bands in winter, giving a spectacle impressing to see and hear, when they come the evening to be perched in bushes of reeds, attracting by there often birds of prey such as the swivels or the sparrowhawks. Originating in the forests of leafy trees, the starling was established in the vicinity of the man: large bands (exceptionally until a million individuals), can be formed in the centers of the cities, where they cause many damage with their droppings.

Systematic

Several subspecies are distinguished:

S. vulgaris vulgaris
S. vulgaris faroensis
S. vulgaris zetlandicus
S. vulgaris granti
S. vulgaris poltaratskyi
S. vulgaris tauricus
S. vulgaris purpurascens
S. vulgaris caucasicus
S. vulgaris nobilior
S. vulgaris porphyronotus
S. vulgaris humii
S. vulgaris minor

Extensions and regressions

In Western Australia, which was not invaded by the starlings, the government pays hunters full-time to kill the starlings which arrive.

Although there is approximately 200 million starlings in North America, they are all the descendants of an about sixty birds slackened in the Central Park of New York, by Eugene Shieffelin, with the head of a company of acclimatization, which tried to introduce in North America all the species of birds mentioned into works of William Shakespeare.

The descendants of these starlings caused serious disorders in North America. Many indigenous species lose their sites of nesting to the profit of the starlings, more aggressive. Sometimes the starlings eliminate from the species such as the blue Merle, the black Hirondelle, the two-tone Hirondelle, like some of the smallest species of Pivert.

One century after their introduction, they contributed to the decline of all the species mentioned, while multiplying quickly, so much so that one now finds them in all North America until in Alaska, reaching the level of overpopulation.

Under species

There are two subspecies of the starling: the starling of the Shetland, S. v. zetlandicus , and the starling of the Faroe S. v. faroeensis , the largest alternative of the starlings of Europe. The plumage of the adult males is black with blue reflections in winter, greens in summer. One finds this subspecies only in the Faroe Islands. In the beginning, the starlings of Scotland and England were similar to those of the continent, but they died out in Scotland before 1800, and became rare in England. It is only one century after, towards 1900, that the S. v. vulgaris recolonisèrent coming from the continent, and since, towards 1940, this subspecies extended in Iceland, where they thrive, in the East and the West.

One finds occasionally S. v.vulgaris in the Faroe Islands.

Legislation

Because of their expansion, measurements of destruction were necessary in certain areas.

It is classified harmful in France in the majority of the departments, because by the power of the number, it is able to destroy harvests.

In the United Kingdom, on the other hand, it is protected, because the intensive agriculture reduced manpower of them. It is the same in several countries of Europe of the East, where it is present only in summer (and where he removes the farmers from the caterpillar S and others Insecte S vermin).

Opportunist and aggressive, these birds can threaten the existence of the other sparrows, in particular in the countries where they were introduced: it is legal, in the USA and Canada, to kill the starlings in all times. It also became a fundamental practice to destroy the nests of starlings, and to set up nesting boxes, where it is possible in the timbered back-yards and grounds, for the indigenous species, in order to give them chances of survival.

Only certain varieties are regarded as domestic by the French legislation.

Startling campaigns

The startling of the starlings consists in frightening them to encourage them to change dormitory. This operation has an interest in the places where the gatherings inflict important harmful effects with the human population (noise, droppings). It consists in emitting noises, sounds impulsive, intense and especially briefs. One uses frighten, of the rockets (crépitantes, whistling, detonating), of the acoustic effaroucheurs (imitation of cries of predatory, of the rifle-laser. One can ask for the contest of the population which must use pans, musical instruments… One has sometimes recourse to the services of falconers, this method appears indicated for the green areas in closed court. The methods of startling must be changed regularly because the starling has a great capacity of adaptation.
Exemple of a startling campaign:

1st evening: when it makes black night, whereas the birds are ready to sleep, one awakes them by making the most possible noise;
1st morning: before the rising of the sun, one awakes the birds and one forces them to leave the dormitory;
2nd evening: before fallen the night and until the black night, one prevents the birds from coming to be posed on the trees;
2nd morning: before the rising of the sun, one awakes the birds and one forces them to leave their dormitories
3rd evening: before fallen the night and until the black night, one prevents the birds from coming to be posed on the trees (like the previous day).

During the operations, it should be made sure that the birds do not choose another site where they are undesirable.

“Use”

The starling is sometimes consumed out of pie.

The animal is appreciated certain hunters amateurs of small birds because, with ammunition|cartridges of small shots (of the 22 for example), it can kill several birds of a blow without much difficulty (Note:: the Plomb is a toxic Munition, which can be factor of Saturnisme for the bird and the consumer).

The starling is a spontaneously noisy bird, and good imitator, like much in his family. In captivity, he quickly learns how to imitate all kinds of sounds and words, so much so that he was called the “ Grackle of the pauvre ”.

Language

The expression “ rupee of sansonnet ” is used to indicate a negligible thing: it is rupee of starling . The word “ roupie ” is used here in its old meaning of snot, drop with the nose .

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