| Although still a common sight, Starlings has declined in
numbers in recent years putting it, rather amazingly, on the RSPB's Red
List. A gregarious bird, they spend much of the time in flocks, especially
when they are not breeding. These flocks can be huge, many thousands of
birds congregating together to feed; often the flocks combine to roost and
have formed huge roosts of over 1 million birds. The United Kingdom population
is swelled by winter visitors from Europe. Male and females are alike with
a glossy, apparently black plumage, which on closer inspection is a mixture
of iridescent blacks, purples and greens. The bill is yellow in summer but
turns to dark grey in winter with the plumage gaining white speckles on
the feather tips. The young are brown in colour with pale, cream throats
and white speckled under-parts. They feed on insects, worms, berries, fruit
and will happily raid a garden bird-table leaving it empty! Starlings are
superb mimics imitating not only the songs of other birds but many man-made
sounds such as telephones, door bells, whistles and alarms. |
