9 Facts About Starlings an Infographic

9 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT STARLING BIRDS

FAST FACTS ABOUT THE STARLING BIRD :

Scientific name: Sturnus vulgaris

Average weight: 2 to 3.6 ounces

Average wingspan: 12 to 16inches

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Starling birds are at home in urban, suburban and agricultural settings. They can tolerate areas of high human density and activity. The birds are often found around dumps and landfills, picking through open dumpsters and trash bags.
2. A migrating flock of starlings can number 100,000 birds. They roost communally in flocks that sometimes contain as many as a million birds.
3. Starlings will pair up in spring and summer to nest and raise their young. They produce from three to eight eggs per clutch.
4. Starlings range from Alaska to Florida and northern Mexico. There are an estimated 200 million Starlings in North America.
5. Large flocks of starlings sometimes join with grackles and blackbirds to cause serious damage to agricultural crops. Starlings cause an estimated $800 million in damages to crops annually.
6. In urban and suburban areas, starling nests built into building cavities can pose a fire hazard. New nests are added to old, compounding this combustible materials hazard. The birds can also get stuck in chimneys and metal flues.
7. Starling birds can enter a round hole that’s just 1-5/8" in diameter, or a slot entrance that’s only 1-5/16" tall (some can enter a 1-1/4" slot).
8. Starlings are bold, aggressive scavengers and can quickly destroy crops of strawberries, blueberries, grapes, tomatoes, peaches, figs, apples and cherries. They can also eat up vast stores of grains and certain seeds.
9. Starling droppings can contain the fungus histoplasma capsulatum, the cause of histoplasmosis in humans. The droppings are also highly acidic, eating into paint and degrading the strength and structural integrity of many materials.