Starlings are songbirds. Amazing wildlife: what does a starling look like

The starling is a small bird, distributed throughout the world, mainly in the Eastern Hemisphere. Species of the starling family (Sturnidae), for the most part small birds, never reaching the size of a jackdaw, are distributed among about 150 species.

The starling is 19 centimeters long, with white spots on a black background, with purple and golden-green sheen. The feathers are narrow, sharp, and more noticeable at the top in autumn, and in spring only partly white or light brown. Brown-gray young have a white throat, and a whitish chest with blackish spots.

Most of them are tropical birds, and in temperate latitudes only a few species are found. The most characteristic representatives of the starling family belong to the genus starling (Sturnus), numbering about 40 species. These birds have a sharp, almost straight beak, live mainly in the tropical countries of Asia, but partly in Africa, Europe and Central Asia; America and Australia do not have them.

The central European representative of this genus, our common starling (St. vulgaris), lives in deciduous, mainly oak forests, especially if there is water in or near them and if they are interspersed with meadows, fields and pastures.

In addition, he lives in forest-poor, even treeless areas, for example, in the Alps, along the coasts of the seas, on islands and in cities, and after hatching, in meadows with short grass, pastures and compressed fields.

It visits dry areas only on migration. The starling arrives to them early - in favorable weather, sometimes already in January, but then it often has to fly back. AT more it appears in February and March; as for the time of departure, many young ones fly away already in June, and the rest in mid-September, throughout October and until the end of November. In favorable winters, the starling winters in Central Europe in separate specimens or in small flocks.

The starling nests in tree hollows, rock crevices, holes in walls, dovecotes and other similar places, and willingly settles in birdhouses hung for it on houses or close to them.

In the northern areas of its distribution area, it breeds chicks only once a year; in many places starlings breed two generations only as an exception, while in the south two broods are the rule. The nest contains greenish or bluish eggs in the second half of April, and in some areas even in June.

In the secondary rearing of chicks, the nest is often lined with green foliage, and sometimes, of course, only in extreme cases, it is arranged openly on a tree. In September, or only in October, the males return daily to the nest, climb in and out, dance with lowered wings, sing, and then fly away, as if making a farewell visit to the nest.

The chicks that have flown out of the nest do not remain long near the place where they were born: for example, already in mid-June they fly in large flocks, heading south.

Searching meadow plants and loose earth, he opens his beak with compasses, often follows a plowing peasant, and in autumn he willingly attacks vineyards.

How does a starling live

The starling is an extremely lively and mobile bird. He is never idle, flies here and there and is so social that he often joins the rooks, jackdaws and thrushes. He walks waddling, mostly walking, sometimes jumping. Its flight is straight, before landing, hesitant. He drinks a lot and loves to swim.

In August, starlings begin to gather in groups; in September they form larger flocks, growing by the time of the main migration in October into hordes of thousands. In late autumn, such flocks fly away every evening from feeding places to resting places, often at a distance of several hours of flight, especially into dense reeds, with one flock following another.

The birds sing and make noise, greeting each newly arriving flock with a cry, and finally, with the onset of twilight, little by little fall silent and fall asleep, sitting several by one on the reed stalk bent under their weight. With the onset of dawn, a new path begins, and after sunrise, most of the flock immediately rises in all directions in small flocks.

On their wintering grounds, namely in Southern Europe and North Africa, the starling probably leads the same lifestyle as ours. It is distributed throughout Europe and Siberia, east to Lake Baikal, north to 70° latitude.

However, at present this species is generally divided into several varieties.

Types of starlings

starling amethyst

The amethyst starling lives in Africa north of the Sahara desert. His way of life is no different from the way of life of an ordinary starling. Since October, he begins to build a nest and acquire chicks. In March, the chicks are already beginning to fly.

2-4 pale blue eggs are found in the nest. The female incubates the eggs for 2 weeks. Then, for about a month, the starlings feed their chicks. Amethyst starlings feed on insects and fruits of berry trees.

Buffalo Common Starling

The buffalo starling is a small bird. It differs from ordinary starlings in its unusual thickened beak of bright colors and very strong legs.

swallow starling

Of the genus Artamus, which belongs to the family of starlings, but which, however, is distributed westward to India, most of the approximately 20 species are found in the Australian area of ​​\u200b\u200bdistribution of animals. Species of this genus combine the properties of starlings, shrikes and swallows, in particular they are distinguished by long wings, similar to those of swallows; they lead a lifestyle similar to that of swallows.

These birds, which live along the banks of rivers and in the savannas, catch insects like swallows in flight. Their flight is an alternation of wing beats with soaring, but inferior to the flight of swallows in speed; they either rise high into the air, or fly above the very surface of the water. On the ground, short-legged swallowtails are very awkward. They build their nest in the trees, their eggs are similar to the eggs of shrikes.

The tree swallow starling, equal in size to our swift, is gray above, red-brown below, with a white stripe above the eye. Australian short-legged starlings are bare-eyed starlings (Sphecotheres), distinguished by their bare eye circumference and lore; four species are distributed throughout Australia and New Guinea.

We have not listed all types of starlings. There is also a bronze starling, an arboreal white-headed starling, a golden starling, brass, copper, one-color, rice, steel (gray), mourning (black) starling, tailed starling.

red-winged starling

The red-winged starling has small red inserts on its wings. This is a rather large bird, about 27-30 cm long. With an elongated neck. This type of starling was discovered by Linnaeus in 1766.

A complete picture of this starling can be done by looking at the photo.

This bird was discovered by the English naturalist Gerald Waller in 1880. The determinant is as Onychognathus walleri.

Lives in Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia.

black-winged starling

The black-winged starling (Acridotheres melanopterus) is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. This species is also known as the black winged myna or white-breasted starling. Its main habitat is in Indonesia. There are three recognized subspecies of this starling: the nominate species, which is found throughout most of the island of Java; the tricolor starling, which is restricted to southeast Java; and the third species, which is in Bali.

The black-winged starling is a small bird - about 23 cm long. The plumage of this species is striking, its head, chest, back and rump are white, while the tail and parts of the wings are glossy black. The tip of the tail and wings are also white. The skin around the eyes is yellow. The beak is yellow, and slightly darker towards the base. The tricolor subspecies is similar to the main subspecies, but has a gray back and very deep black on the wings. And the third subspecies is similar to the tricolor, with the difference that its black color of the back becomes gray closer to the tail.

The black-winged starling feeds on various fruits, nectar and insects. It feeds in small groups and in pairs, both on trees and on the ground.

In 2010, this species was listed in the Red Book.

Pastor

The family of starlings is represented in the Caspian region by the pink starling (Sturnus roseus). The predominant color of an adult bird is pink, the head, wings and tail are black, there is a crest on the head; young birds do not have a crest, brown-gray with a whitish throat and indistinct spots on the breast. The length of the pink starling is approximately 21 cm. From the Caspian region, it is distributed east to Mongolia, and west to the Danube lowland, where it annually visits Bulgaria, and in some years it is even very common here. By its behavior, the pink starling is very reminiscent of our European starling.

Like this last one, he runs through the meadows and nods as he searches them; it also forms flocks in which individual individuals keep, however, not as closely next to each other as our starlings. Rosy starlings also differ from these latter in that they fly much more and behave generally more restlessly. Yes, they have to fly around vast spaces every day in order to find food for themselves, and also to catch, like bee-eaters, insects on the fly.

However, usually the pink starling collects insects on the ground. Here he looks for them, like our starling, and like him he accompanies the herds. cattle, sheep and pigs in order to catch gadflies and gadflies scurrying around these animals.

He also sits on animals, frees them from ticks and lice, which is why animals willingly tolerate him. The main food of the pink starling is, however, migratory locust, found in his homeland in whole swarms resembling clouds. According to the assurances of the Turks, the bird kills 99 out of a hundred of these insects, and eats only a hundredth.

For the extermination of locusts, the peoples of his homeland consider the pink starling almost a sacred bird; here he is guarded everywhere, guarded and never killed. On the other hand, the owners of rice fields in India call the pink starling, which eats, in addition to insects, also berries, fruits and grains, a damn bird, and they are so afraid of him that they put up guards in order to prevent the harm caused by a bird that appears here in huge flocks. While the pink starling winters normally in India, it flies into Africa only occasionally.

At irregular intervals, the pink starling visits Italy, France and even England, as well as other countries located between those just renamed and its breeding area. During these flights, pink starlings usually join our starlings and visit the same pastures as them, namely pastures for livestock. The pink starling is also a social bird, living in larger or smaller herds, but setting off for the night quietly and calmly, without the noise so characteristic of our starlings.

In general, the pink starling prefers to choose tall trees for the night, but since there are almost none in his homeland, he has to be content with thickets of willows bordering the banks and riverbeds. By the water, the nest of the pink starling is always placed, which is an artless building made of dry twigs and straws. Sometimes it nests in such huge colonies that due to lack of space, some pairs have to nest on the ground between grass and stems.

In general, the pink starling builds a nest in the hollows of trees, in cracks and holes in steep cliffs and rocks, in ruins and stone walls, in warehouses of firewood and heaps of brushwood. Occasionally, this bird nests outside its true homeland, where it spends time from late April to August. The fact is that, like other birds of those countries, the pink starling sometimes undertakes mass migrations.

How the starling sings

The starling learns to whistle all sorts of melodies and clearly pronounce individual words, but soon forgets what he has learned, imitating the new. Its song is changeable and long, confusing, consisting of many whistling, creaking, hurdy-gurdy-like, cackling and chirping stanzas, invocative sounds and imitations of other birds, such as the oriole.

Calling cry - sounds like “shtyor”, for young people - “shtar, shtar”.

Watch the video about the starling:

Shpak are extraordinary

The whole territory of Belarus

Starling family - Sturnidae.

In Belarus - S.v. vulgaris.

Common breeding and transit migratory migrant, occasionally hibernates in small numbers. In Belarus, it is found throughout the territory.

Well known bird. The age dimorphism in plumage coloration is markedly expressed. The adult bird is black in spring with a green and purple metallic sheen; the tips of the feathers on the dorsal side are brown, the beak is bright yellow, and the legs are orange-red. In hibernating individuals, the underside of the body is covered with white streaks that disappear by spring. Young starlings, after leaving the nests and until autumn, have a uniform grayish-brown color with a lighter throat and a dark gray beak. Male weight 54-104 g, female 68-101 g. Body length (both sexes) 21.5-23 cm, wingspan 37-42 cm. Male wing length 11.5-13.5 cm, tail 6-7, 5 cm, tarsus 2.5-3.5 cm, beak 2-3 cm. Female wing length 12-13 cm, tail 5.5-7 cm, tarsus 2.5-3.5 cm, beak 2-3 cm .

The bulk of our starlings nest in settlements - in villages, on farms, in summer cottages, and even small towns. Here birds inhabit specially hung board houses - birdhouses. In addition, starlings often settle (near human settlements) in light upland and floodplain forests, groves, and forest stands along rivers, where the main nesting condition is the presence of hollows.

In the spring, these birds arrive and transit among the first - in March, and in the south of the republic sometimes already at the end of February. Arrival dates vary quite a lot depending on weather conditions in spring. During spring migration, starlings fly in a wide front, in small (10-40 individuals) flocks at a height of 50-70 m, adhering to river floodplains.

For some time after arrival, starlings stay in flocks. They spend the night on the edges of the forest, in reed beds in the floodplains of rivers, fish farms, lakes, reservoirs, gathering in the evening on the trees dominating in height. 40–60 minutes before dark, flocks of birds of 60–100 or more flocked from the surrounding areas. The number of nocturnal birds ranged from 8 to 15 thousand.

Early in the morning they scatter around the city and its environs in search of food. Mass overnight stays of starlings continue until the onset of the breeding season, which in different years occurs in early March - early April.

With the arrival of females, pairs are formed, flocks break up. Pairs of birds occupy birdhouses and hollows, and males announce their presence with a rather loud song, characteristic feature which is the predominance of various stanzas borrowed from other birds, as well as imitations of other sounds - the creaking of a door, the crackling of a motor, various clicks, etc. While singing, the male, sitting on a branch, shakes his wings. The singing continues until the end of May.

Breeds in pairs or small groups. In some cases, settlements can have the character of a colony (up to 70 pairs), although the birds do not tolerate too close proximity of other pairs. In most cases, the starling occupies a nesting box for nesting, often settles in natural hollows of coniferous and deciduous trees(pine, aspen, poplar, willow, oak, linden, alder), as well as in hollows, most often hollowed out by a large spotted woodpecker or woodpeckers of other species medium size. It most readily occupies hollows with a notch about 47 mm in diameter, into which it barely penetrates. Sometimes nests in voids and niches of stone and wooden buildings, under roofs (especially from slate), occasionally in the walls of nests of large birds (storks, some birds of prey).

The height of the hollow or birdhouse does not really matter. However, hollows located at a height of at least 3 m from the ground are most preferred. Both members of the pair participate in the construction of the nest. At the same time, the nesting chamber is abundantly lined with dry, often rather coarse stems of grasses, short straws (fresh or half-decayed), and wool. A large number of feathers of domestic and wild birds. Such a nest is a random pile of various building material. In the nests of storks and large birds of prey, nests of almost spherical starlings with a side entrance are found. Nest diameter (lit.) 14.5 cm; tray depth 6 cm, diameter 9 cm.

In a full clutch 4-7 (usually 5-6), in rare cases up to 8 eggs. The shell is slightly shiny, one-color, bright, light or greenish-blue, without spots. Egg weight 7 g, length 29 mm (27-31 mm), diameter 21 mm (20-22 mm).

Fresh clutches appear in the second half of April - early May. The nesting cycle of reproduction from the laying of the first egg to the departure of the chicks from the nest is 38–40 days. The maximum difference in the timing of reproduction of individual birds does not exceed 30–35 days. There is usually one brood per year. In the south of the republic, some pairs of starlings breed two broods a year, but this phenomenon is not widespread. Moreover, late broods in the south of Belarus are relatively rare and there is no convincing evidence that the same pair of starlings makes two clutches per year.

The female lays one egg per day. Both birds incubate for 12-15 days, but the male to a much lesser extent. On the 3rd day, the auditory canals open in the chicks, on the 7th day - the eyes. First, the male feeds, later the female and male feed the chicks. Departure of young birds from the nest is carried out on the 21-22nd day of life.

Fledglings are fed by parents for about 10 more days.

After that, the broods unite in flocks, starting to lead a nomadic lifestyle: they fly to feed on pastures and harvested fields, and usually spend the night among the branches of shrubs or in dense tree crowns, and sometimes in reed beds. Adult birds are also present in flocks of underyearlings. In addition, flocks of nomadic birds are found in April - the first half of May, which consist mainly of single non-nesting individuals.

Sexual maturity in starlings occurs at the age of one year. According to some reports, most of the starlings do not start breeding at the age of one. In addition, some adult birds do not participate in breeding due to the lack of suitable nesting sites, unfavorable weather conditions and other factors.

In July - August there are flocks of starlings of hundreds of individuals. With the first cold snap in September, starlings return to their nesting sites and singing birds can be seen near their houses. It is believed that local birds are returning to the birdhouses. They are shown in autumn only in the mornings, and their singing is like a drawn-out whistle, less melodic than in spring. Return to nesting sites in autumn is a regular phenomenon.

Since not all birds return to the birdhouses, it can be assumed that some of them begin to move for wintering already in September, the other - from October until late frosts. Most of the birds fly away in the second half of September. Sometimes winterings of this species are noted in our country, and wintering starlings are kept, as a rule, in settlements. This happens very rarely and irregularly, more often in the south of the republic.

Valery Kiselyov, Gomel

Detachment - passeriformes

Family - Skvorovye

Genus/Species - Sturnus vulgaris

Basic data:

DIMENSIONS

Length: 21.5 cm.

Wing length: 13 cm.

Weight: 74-90

BREEDING

Puberty: from 1-2 years old.

Nesting period: from April to June.

Carrying: 1, rarely 2 per season.

Number of eggs: 5-7.

Incubation: 12-13 days.

LIFESTYLE

Habits: common starlings (pictured) are social birds; in places of lodging for the night they keep in large flocks.

Food: invertebrates, fruits, other fruits and seeds.

Lifespan: 3 years.

RELATED SPECIES

The starling family includes 108 species, for example, the pink starling.

The starling is one of the most resourceful and largest birds, it is quite easy to adapt to various natural conditions. He is unpretentious when choosing food. Due to this circumstance, over the past 50 years, the range of the starling has increased and, accordingly, the number of birds has increased, while the number of many other species has decreased.

BREEDING

Before the start of the nesting period, large flocks of starlings break up into pairs. Young birds do not nest, remaining faithful to their usual roosting places. The rest of the birds create pairs and look for suitable places for nests. In nature, starlings use tree hollows or rocky cracks, urban birds choose holes in houses, for example, under roofs. Starling's nest - pretty large building cup-shaped, built from dry parts of plants.

Birds cover it with grass, moss, feathers and other materials. The female lays eggs at intervals of 24 hours. She alone incubates the eggs. The female starling spends the whole night in the nest and most day. Starling chicks hatch naked and blind. Parents bring them insects (up to 300 per day) - a complete protein food. Babies grow up in 3 weeks.

LIFESTYLE

Many modern people the starling is usually associated with the birdhouse - it seems to be the only place where he lives. However, in fact, in the old days, the starling was a forest bird that nested in the hollows of trees. Nowadays, the situation in many areas has changed a lot, so starlings are more often found near human habitation than in deserted areas. In some regions, they settled on agricultural lands, especially near pastures; birds are often found in cities. Starlings are social birds. In large flocks, they go to feed or return to roost. They often nest in large colonies.

On winter evenings, huge flocks of starlings go to cities where they spend the night. Starlings gather in noisy groups on tree branches or rooftops. Cities attract them the best conditions- the air temperature is slightly higher there, and a large number of places protected from the wind.

WHAT DOES IT FEED

The diet of starlings is extremely varied and depends on the habitat of the birds. In nature, they usually feed on seeds and fruits, gathering insects such as weevils, beetles and caterpillars in the fields and pastures. Starlings sometimes also prey on insects in the air. These birds willingly visit orchards, where they cause significant damage to the crop.

Starlings are the main enemies of viticulture. In cities, they willingly fly to feeders placed in parks and gardens. Bird nestlings are fed with insects. Many birds that spend the night in the city go to feed in its surroundings during the day. Early in the morning, flocks of starlings fly out of cities and fly to food sources, sometimes located at a distance of several kilometers from their roosting places. By evening, the starlings return back. As the birds approach the city, their flocks increase. The flocks fly to the city in the form of huge black clouds.

STARLING AND MAN

Citizens do not like starlings, as they pollute houses, sidewalks and trees in cities with feces.

In parks, trees, alleys and benches are covered with a layer of excrement with such a strong smell that some parts of the parks have to be closed. In villages, starlings are also often considered pests, as they damage crops in the fields. In regions where viticulture is developed, a raid of starlings on a vineyard can lead to the ruin of farmers. City officials and farmers are trying to keep starlings away from certain places. To do this, they use networks, as well as powerful searchlights and sound signals.

STARLING OBSERVATIONS

The common starling nests throughout Europe. In winter, the number of starlings in the south of Europe increases significantly, since migratory starlings that nest in Northern and Central Europe. From autumn to spring, huge flocks of starlings appear in some villages and cities in the south, which can number up to a million individuals. In each region they have their own places to stay for the night. Birds change these areas from time to time. The presence of starlings can be recognized by the excrement that can be seen on the ground and sidewalk, and in the evening you can see large flocks of these birds.

• The starling is an excellent imitator. It can imitate other bird calls and other sounds, such as phone calls, frogs croaking, doors creaking, cats meowing, or whistling tunes.
• Under the weight of a large flock of starlings, tree branches sometimes break.
• In some areas, the starling is a welcome guest, as it destroys many insect pests. In some European countries and in New Zealand, people even build birdhouses for them, hanging them near their homes.
• AT last years in the UK, Scandinavia, in the territory former USSR and starlings have decreased in the eastern United States. The reason for this was the decrease in pastures for livestock, where starlings found most of their prey.

DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE STARLING

Flight: flies quickly and smoothly, while catching flying insects, the movements are incorrect.

Connector: the nesting period begins with the choice of a place convenient for the nest. Birds prefer abandoned hollows, crevices in tree trunks and walls.

Food search: birds walk on the ground or branches and collect insects with their beaks.

Plumage: black with purple, green and blue metallic sheen, in summer the beak is yellow in birds of both sexes.

- Habitat of the starling

WHERE Dwells

Common starlings are numerous birds that inhabit the entire territory of Europe and the western part of Asia, and in winter they are found far to the south. Starlings have been acclimatized in North America, South Africa and Australia.

PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION

Starlings have adapted to life in human-modified regions and have become one of the most numerous birds in Europe.

Songbird. Video (00:00:37)

I would never have thought that a starling during the mating season could sing so beautifully in different voices. It looks like several birds are singing!

Talking Starling Maina. Chelyabinsk. Video (00:00:40)

talking starling. Video (00:07:19)

Song starling-2. Video (00:01:51)

What a stupid bastard. Video (00:03:11)

Spring. Birdhouse. Starling.

STARLING. Video (00:04:02)

From own video taken at the cottage.

Starling. Video (00:04:02)

End of May 2013. The starling arranged concerts every day calling for females, then flew away without finding a mate.

Starling common. Birds of Brateevograd. Video (00:01:33)

An ordinary and permanent resident of Brateevo and its environs. In autumn, before migration, starlings accumulate in large flocks.
The starling lives in the coastal thickets of the Moscow River, in the swamps and woodlands of the Brateevskaya floodplain, but not far from the footpaths. While breeding, it searches for tree hollows; starlings were seen in the niches of residential buildings behind the 192 polyclinic, not far from the feeding area.
In Maryino, they saw a starling nest at the end of Maryinsky Boulevard. In spring, summer and autumn, it is seen at the end of Maryinskaya Embankment, as well as in the park on the ring of Bratislavskaya Street.

Song starling - nest preparation. Video (00:05:20)

This year we managed to prepare and install video cameras near the birdhouse and inside the nest. Inside, I also installed infrared illumination and a microphone.
True, the cameras are still only black and white. And the recording is only in my presence. But work is already underway to improve this project.
A video recorder with 24-hour recording will be installed. And next season I hope to replace the video cameras with color ones!
Wait for the sequel....

Vida

Appearance and behavior. Body length 20–25 cm, wingspan 34–42 cm, weight 60–90 g. The appearance of a sitting and walking bird is very characteristic due to its dense build, shortened tail, long, sharp, straight beak, and large strong legs. A flying bird is easily recognizable by the triangular shape of its pointed wings. Not shy, flies well, walks and runs; stays in flocks most of the year.

Description. Sexual dimorphism in color and size is almost not expressed. In fresh autumn plumage, adult birds are dotted with dense whitish and buffy mottles and speckles, almost hiding the dark color of the body and wings. The beak is dark, the iris is hazel, the legs are pink-buff. By spring, the light borders at the ends of the feathers gradually wear out, the feathers themselves become sharper. In spring, the starling looks almost black with a strong metallic sheen - bronze, green, purple, purple. The beak becomes yellow (mandible with a blue base). During the mating season, a small number of mottles remain on the back, wings, and undertail.

Young birds are brown, with blurred longitudinal streaks, dark bridle from beak to eye, light throat and blackish beak. Legs pale, greyish-ocher. At the end of summer and autumn, molting young birds with penetrating black-and-white plumage look piebald. A flying bird has relatively short pointed wings with a light underside, a long pointed beak, and a shortened tail; these signs make it possible to distinguish starlings from other flocking birds of similar size - thrushes and waxwings.

Voice. The song is very varied, loud, consists of whistling and chirping knees, includes numerous borrowings of songs from other birds, as well as imitations of a wide variety of sounds. The singing starling opens its beak wide, puffs up the feathers on its throat, periodically shakes its half-spread wings. The call and cry of alarm is a soft murmuring " chrr», « chrrrr". Fledglings make squealing, chirping, chirping sounds. In flocks they are very noisy.

Distribution, status. It is distributed almost throughout Eurasia from the taiga to the subtropics, over the past decades it has settled eastward to Transbaikalia, in the north of Europe it has reached the forest-tundra, through the forest belts it has penetrated into the steppes and semi-deserts. In Western and Southern Europe, in the Middle East, the Caucasus is found all year round, local birds are joined by migrants from the northern and eastern parts of the range - areas with snowy winters. It winters in smaller numbers outside the nesting range - in the subtropics and tropics of Africa and Asia.

Introduced in North America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, on many islands in Oceania. In European Russia, it is generally common, but there are significant fluctuations in numbers, apparently, in recent decades, the number has been somewhat reduced. At the nesting sites middle lane appears from the beginning of March, at the beginning of snowmelt, departure from August to November, some birds remain to winter in the area of ​​snowless winters, as well as in the cities in garbage dumps and landfills.

Lifestyle. A characteristic view of anthropogenic and mosaic landscapes, settles in settlements, gardens, parks, using birdhouses and voids in human buildings. AT vivo nests in hollows, old burrows of bee-eaters and rollers in cliffs. It rarely forms colonies. The diet is dominated by invertebrates, which birds collect mainly on the ground. Earthworms, beetle larvae are dug out of soft soil, in the spring they are collected, following the plow on arable land. It often feeds on lawns right under people's feet. Rarely examines crowns or catches insects in the air (for example, accompanying herds of ungulates). In the second half of summer it eats berries, can cause serious damage to the crop.

Normally monogamous, although there are cases of bigamy. Having chosen a place for nesting, the male actively attracts the female with songs; with the onset of incubation, his song activity sharply decreases. Sometimes the male starts building the nest without the female, but usually the partners build the nest and carry the nesting material together. Clutch contains 4–8, usually 5–6 pale blue, rapidly fading eggs. Incubation lasts 11–15 days, both members of the pair incubate, at night only the female.

The chicks hatch covered in long, thick grayish-white down. With the advent of chicks, residential hollows become clearly visible, birds constantly fly to them with food, carry away whitish capsules of droppings from the nest, chicks chirp loudly. After 20–22 days after hatching (sometimes after 15–17 days), the brood leaves the nest. Usually the flight takes place in the middle or end of May. It is possible that some pairs occasionally have 2 broods per season. All summer the birds roam in families, gradually forming large flocks and moving to more open habitats. At the end of summer, before spending the night, flocks of starlings, numbering thousands of individuals, perform complex pirouettes in the air, resembling clouds that constantly change their configuration, and all the birds move surprisingly well-coordinated and synchronously.

At this time, mass roosts usually form in reed beds, less often in tree crowns. In autumn, many males sing, but less actively than in spring. Departure begins in August, drags on until late autumn, small groups occasionally remain to winter in the middle lane - in stockyards, city and suburban dumps. First-year-olds do not breed, spend the summer wandering, nest only at the end of the 2nd year of life. The maximum known lifespan is 20 years.

Starling, or common starling ( Sturnus vulgaris)

Classification

Genus: starlings

Family: starlings

Squad: passeriformes

Class: birds

Type of: chordates

Kingdom: animals

Dimensions: body length 18-22 cm, wingspan 39 cm, weight up to 75 g

Lifespan: 12 years

At first glance at the starling, it seems that this bird is rather clumsy: a short neck, a slightly elongated massive body and thick paws do not give it much grace. But, of course, this impression is misleading. The brisk starling is on the move all day long.

Appearance

Starling weighing like egg, has a fairly dense plumage, black with a slight metallic sheen:

• on the head, chest and goiter, the feathers are sharper; the longest are the first and second flight feathers on the wings;
• closer to autumn, the tips of the feathers grind off a little, the body is covered with white specks, slightly larger on the breast, and the bird becomes piebald; in spring, after molting, the plumage of the starling turns brown, and by summer it becomes black again;
• the color of young birds is devoid of a characteristic metallic sheen; their feathers are dull brown in color, and darken only with age;
• some types of starlings may have feathers with a greenish, purple, blue or bronze tint;

The color of the starling is very interesting and changes throughout the year.

• the wings of starlings are quite short and wider at the base; the tail, straight cut at the end, is also small: its length is 6.2-6.8 cm;
• leg color reddish brown; in chicks, the wings are more rounded and less sharp;
• unlike black ones, which they resemble outwardly, starlings do not jump on the ground, but walk, looking for food in the ground;
• in the female, the color is less intense; there are also differences in the shape of feathers: according to the description of ornithologists, in the female on the chest they are slightly shorter; the male's beak is blue at the base, while the female's is reddish-mottled;
• starling eggs have a bluish-green tint, although their color is different types may vary slightly.

The wings of starlings are quite short and wider at the base.

Advice! It is not difficult to determine the time of the imminent appearance of chicks. The long, slightly bent down and laterally flattened beak of this bird is able to change color. In normal times, it has a black color (brownish in growing chicks), in the spring, when the mating season begins, it turns yellow.

Habitat

Starlings are found almost everywhere. They can be found both among and in the southwestern part of Siberia, Transbaikalia, Central Asia, Europe, India and even Africa.

These birds do not like to climb high into the mountains and nest only on the plains, marshes, salt marshes and in the steppes, where there is enough food. Very often they settle near human dwellings, farms and plowed lands.

For wintering, they fly away only from the northern regions. In the southern and western countries, starlings lead a sedentary lifestyle. For example, only 20% winter in the Netherlands, while the rest fly to England, France or Belgium for the winter.

You can read about other birds that fly away in autumn in the article.

It has been noticed that in recent years, birds from the northern regions of Russia no longer reach the places of traditional wintering, but stop a little closer to home. This is probably due to global warming.

Departure for the winter

Starlings winter both in Central or Southern Europe, and in Asia, India and North Africa. Instinctively, they annually again strive to the place where they were born and first saw sunlight. In this they are very similar to.

Sometimes starlings have to fly over 3 thousand miles, including over the seas: the Mediterranean and the Black. They can cover up to 80 miles per hour, making only 2-3 stops per day.

According to the description of eyewitnesses, when meeting with sea ​​vessels these birds seek protection from people and descend on the decks in clouds. After all, during hurricanes, the whole flock can die.

According to old legends, ships on which at least one bird was killed, seeking shelter, are threatened with imminent death.

Interesting! The time of departure of starlings coincides with the beginning of September, although in warmer regions this time may shift to mid-October.

These birds return to their homeland quite early. The first time after arrival, starlings, like them, keep in flocks. Their arrival is a special sight.

In one flock there can be several thousand birds. Flying high in the sky, they make synchronous movements. What these celestial acrobats look like can be seen in the photo below.

flock of starlings

According to the description of ornithologists, in all species of starlings, scout males are the first to return. Females arrive a little later, about a week later, at a time when their partners have already chosen nesting sites.

If the male who looked after the nest fails to find a mate in time, he is left alone.

Interesting! After the chicks of the second clutch leave the nests, the starlings again gather in flocks. They can spend the night on several nearby trees. Moreover, starlings perfectly feel any changes in the weather. If they gather in small flocks and begin to "dance" round dances - be bad weather.

Types of starlings

In Russia, there are five of the existing twelve species of starlings. The most common is the common starling (sometimes called a shpak). In addition to him, in our country there are pink, gray, small and Japanese.

The Caucasus and Persia have their own variety: a settled Caucasian, externally very reminiscent of a shpak.

The pink starling (you can see how it looks in the photo below), living in Europe and Asia, is distinguished from its relatives by a long crest and a pink breast. The head, wings and tail are black with a greenish-steel tint. The eggs of the starling of this species are pale gray and unremarkable.

Just like shpaks, pink starlings are social birds - they nest and fly only in colonies. Sometimes they can even stray into flocks with other birds: sparrows, ravens, or lanes.

pink starling

The amethyst species of starlings is distinguished not only by a very unusual (their iridescent feathers shimmer with all shades of lilac and purple) color, but also by a shorter tail.

Unlike shpak and pink starling, amethyst specimens can rarely be seen on the ground - they spend their whole lives in trees.

amethyst starling

Japanese red-cheeked starlings, living in Russia mainly on Sakhalin and the Kuril Reserve, are a rather rare species. They are called red-cheeked because of the rusty-red spots located near the eyes.

Their rump is also painted in the same color. Another external difference is a pronounced white stripe on the wings. The female differs slightly from the male only in a lighter color.

The appearance of the dragging or buffalo-headed starling, which lives only in Africa, is also unusual. Its wide bright beak is slightly bent at the top, and rounded at the base.

This bird lives near large ungulates and feeds on insects, which it pecks from their skins. A starling can stay on the back of its artiodactyl host for hours.

Volokluy, or buffalo starling

Lesser Starling, resident Far East, are distinguished by their small size (it is almost half the usual size) and a lighter color compared to shpak. There are white stripes on the sides of the back, and white and yellow stripes on the wings.

Bali starlings are the rarest species of these birds. The first individual of this species was described only in 1910. This handsome Asian from the island of Bali has an almost completely white plumage.

The muslin whiteness is emphasized only by a few black tail and flight feathers and an unusual bluish ring around the eyes. Nature rewarded the Balinese starling with an elegant white tuft. In beauty, this bird competes with a parrot!

Bali starling

reproduction

Life expectancy for all species of starlings is an average of 12 years. During this time, they are able to produce enough offspring.

According to the description of ornithologists, the usual clutch is 3-6 evenly colored bluish-green glossy eggs. In a year, one female can lay 1-2 clutches in April and June. What starling eggs look like can be seen in the next photo.

starling eggs

"Marriages" of starlings can persist for many years. Upon arrival from wintering, the flocks break up into pairs, each of which is looking for a place to nest.

They can build their nests in any places where there are voids: tree hollows, under the roofs of houses, and even in wall holes, rock crevices and burrows. Willingly populated by birds and birdhouses.

Starlings can become serious competitors for many species. In the event that the nests are already occupied by sparrows by their arrival, they quickly drive away uninvited residents.

All types of starlings are anxiously watching their offspring. The duty of the bird on duty is to protect the eggs of starlings from bloodthirsty predators. It is enough for a cat to appear on the horizon or, as at the signal of such a watchman, the entire starling tribe flocks to help.

The offspring is incubated mainly by the female, but her partner may well replace her during meals. Incubation of eggs in starlings lasts 12-14 days. Both parents feed the chicks.

At first, young starlings look like true gluttons: it seems that they consist only of a huge yellow beak. All day long, tireless parents collect food for them: insects, worms, and caterpillars.

Feeding chicks

But after 3 weeks, the young offspring grows up and leaves the nest. Since at first the starlings still do not know how to fly, but only flutter from branch to branch, they continue to be fed, but only the male.

Exactly one week later, the chicks are already able to get their own food. By that time, the female may lay a second clutch.

The duties of the male include the entertainment of the female in the mornings and evenings and the performance of serenades to her. By the way, it was during this period that sharp sounds completely disappear from their songs, and they become very gentle and melodic.

chants

As soon as the air warms up a little in the morning, these birds sit on high branches and begin their entertaining concert. The fact is that all types of starlings are mockingbirds and are able to imitate any tune of their relatives.

starling singing

Their song is a whole set of melodies, consisting of nightingale tunes, sharp sounds of oriole, thin whistling of tits, ringing shot of stork, and even frogs croaking or meowing.

However, birds are able to repeat any sounds heard near the nest: the croaking of frogs, meowing, or even the creak of a saw or cart.

In captivity, even young individuals quickly begin to imitate human voices, like parrots or. Ornithologists believe that they also have their own motive - a long sharp whistle, which is innate.

Advice! It is quite easy to tame a starling. If you throw worms or crumbs to a bird, after a while it will fearlessly take food directly from your hands.

Food

The starling, unlike swallows or nuthatches, rarely obtains food on the fly. Its food is mainly on the ground. All day the bird is in motion, for example, as in the next photo.

After all, it is estimated that during the summer it is able to exterminate insects harmful to the garden and garden 1000 times its weight! The daily mass of food exceeds the weight of the bird by 2-2.5 times.

In spring, these birds feed mainly on insects.

Especially many of these pests are caught by starlings during the period of planting eggs and feeding chicks. It is estimated that parents fly up to the nest 198 times a day. Their working day lasts at least 17 hours. The “hunting grounds” of this bird species extend over 500 m from the nest.

Of course, their diet includes some beneficial species insects: garden worms, ladybugs. But the main source of their food are species living close to the soil surface: wireworms, bears, slugs, May beetles.

In summer, the diet of starlings changes. The soil is covered with vegetation, and it becomes more difficult to get insects from the ground, so the birds begin to eat grasshoppers, butterflies, and also eat seeds and fruits with pleasure.

Starling during a serenade

Starling: True Herald of Spring

The first starlings arrive long before the onset of heat. Their ringing songs, more like chirping, are rightfully considered the first harbingers of spring.