ENVS 605

What is it?

The European Starling is a bird everyone has seen. They can be found everywhere in North America and are very comfortable around people. A non-native species introduced in 1890 to the United States, it has quickly become one of the country’s most common birds. Starlings are medium-sized birds, growing to about 8 inches long. They have short tails and are somewhat chunky. Their color is mostly black, with a bill that is yellow in summer and black in winter. Starlings have a greenish-purple shiny-ness when light hits them just right.

 

What is the problem?

The European Starling creates a lot of noise, damages vegetable or fruit crops when it nests in large flocks. They do considerable damage to feedlots by consuming and fouling the feed of domestic cattle. They have proved difficult to drive away. Starlings also compete with native hole-nesters for woodpecker holes (Aspen beetle kill in Gunnison Valley) and natural cavities.

The European Starling is a nemesis to the environment and especially to farmers. The most common problem caused by starlings are damage to crops and berries. When the birds are not eating pests, they destroy farmers' crops. Starlings are so aggressive and force out many native species. An overabundance of starlings causes a lack of avian diversity. Starlings also cause economic concern as they carry and spread human disease and interfere with airports and plane navigation. One last economic concern is starlings' presence at airports and especially on runways.

 

Management Techniques:

 

PASSIVE CONTROL

• Placement

The most successful method for preventing exotic species from breeding in your nest boxes is simply to move your boxes. Only place your boxes in areas that do not have these birds.

• Avoid Feeding

A simple way to reduce the European Starlings around your property is to avoid feeding them.

• Exclusion

Starlings cannot squeeze through a hole smaller than 1 1/2”, so an entrance hole of this size or smaller will exclude starlings from boxes intended for smaller birds.

• Timing

European Starlings do not migrate. This gives them a competitive advantage when it comes to having first pick of suitable nests. Simply plug the entrance hole. Wait to open your nest boxes until migratory birds return, this will ensure

 

ACTIVE CONTROL:

• European Starlings are exotic species and are not protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Therefore nest box monitors are legally allowed to remove or harass them.

• Nest Removal

Remove their nesting materials every few days to discourage birds from settling in.

• Incubation Fake-out

Another method involves tricking the birds into incubating eggs that will never hatch. The logic behind this method is that the adults will remain occupied with their nest and leave the native birds in your area alone.

• Trapping

Where populations of exotic species are high, trapping may be the only effective means of managing invasive species. Once you have a bird trapped, it is best to humanely euthanize it as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary stress to the bird.

• Frightening Devices

The use of distress calls (exploders, lights, and pyrotechnics) typically lets a bird know it is not welcome to nest in the area.

• Chemical Repellents

• Better farm management practices

Controlling available food at feedlots, will limit bird activity

 

What can we do?

There is no shortage of suggestions of how to handle an invasion of European Starling. The best way to keep the bird from taking over your yard is to make it uninviting for them. Create wood boxes that they can’t fit in. Use seed that is of no interest to them. Make sure there are no areas in your roof they can sneak into and nest. If they do settle on your property become a nuisance to them with a combination of noisemakers and projectiles.

 

General Information on European Starlings:

Forest Service:

• PDF that discusses the Forest Service’s research and history with the European Starling.

 

National Parks Service

• PDF, on Colorado’s Northern Plateau land bird conservation plan and monitoring.

 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife:

• This pamphlet outlines Colorado hunting regulations. It is important to note that the European Starling is open game for execution every day of the year.

 

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory:

• PDF that discusses the monitoring methods of colorado bird species.