European Starling

Unnoticed biodiversity

Identification

Common name: European Starling
Latin name: Sturnus vulgaris
Length: 21 cm
Distinguishing features: black plumage with a metallic sheen; flecked with white in their winter plumage; pointed beak.
Habitat: ubiquitous species
Diet: opportunistic
Status: Least Concern in the Ile-de-France region
Nesting period: March to July

Seen in the garden

With their distinctive plumage, you can spot them and see just how many there are in the Tuileries Garden in summer.

They can sometimes be seen in the boxwood hedges of the rose gardens, where they hunt box tree caterpillars (Cydalima perspectalis).

The species is thus helping in the biological struggle against the spread of this defoliating insect native to Asia, which reached France in the 2000s.

European Starling - typical songs

Audio

1 min.

Did you know?

This species, which can seem abundant at some sites, saw its numbers in Paris decline from around 2,000 pairs in 2005–2008 to 1,000 pairs in 2015–2018.
Starlings are known for their murmurations – aerial displays that can be observed in the winter months – and for their extraordinary talent as mimics (of songs and calls of other species, phone ringtones, honks, alarms and more). )

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