All species › Passerines › Starlings
Starlings | Sturnidae
Spreeuwen | Estorninos
Robust birds with a straight pointed bill and strong legs; they walk purposefully over the ground rather than hop. They feed by pushing the closed bill into the turf and forcing it open there — the jaw muscles are built for it, and the eyes are set far enough forward for the bird to look down along the open bill. In many species the plumage is metallic, a gloss that comes from feather structure rather than pigment, often flecked with pale spots. They are thoroughly social: flocks while feeding, communal roosts, and nest holes close together; many species are accomplished mimics.
Native species 4 species
Species that occur here by nature: breeding birds, winter visitors and passage migrants. They are arranged by genus, in the sequence of the list.
Sturnus 2 species
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Spotless starling
Sturnus unicolor
Buildings of cities, towns and villages
Sparsely wooded grasslands
Arable land and market gardens
Inland cliffs, rock pavements and outcrops
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Common starling
Sturnus vulgaris- Buildings of cities, towns and villages
Mesic grasslands- Arable land and market gardens
Low density buildings
Sedge and reedbeds without free-standing water
Pastor 1 species
Introduced species 2 species
Species that do not occur here by nature but were brought in or escaped and have held on since. They follow the sequence of the list, not the genera.
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Common myna
Acridotheres tristis- Buildings of cities, towns and villages
Cultivated areas of gardens and parks- Arable land and market gardens
Transport networks and other hard-surfaced areas
Lines of trees, small woods, felled and early-stage woodland
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Vinous-breasted myna
Acridotheres leucocephalus- Cultivated areas of gardens and parks
- Buildings of cities, towns and villages
- Lines of trees, small woods, felled and early-stage woodland
- Arable land and market gardens