Common Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a common rhabdornis, starlings, and myna found in 122 countries, weighing about 77 g. The common starling, also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, and as the European starling in North America, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae.
About the Common Starling
The common starling, also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, and as the European starling in North America, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of the year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the Mabinogion and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The common starling is 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in) long, with a wingspan of 31–44 cm (12–17 in) and a weight of 58–101 g (2.0–3.6 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 11.8 to 13.8 cm (4.6 to 5.4 in), the tail is 5.8 to 6.8 cm (2.3 to 2.7 in), the culmen is 2.5 to 3.2 cm (0.98 to 1.26 in) and the tarsus is 2.7 to 3.2 cm (1.1 to 1.3 in). The plumage is iridescent black, glossed purple or green, and spangled with white, especially in winter. The underparts of adult male common starlings are less spotted than those of adult females at a given time of year. Voice: The common starling is noisy, its song consisting of a wide variety of both melodic and mechanical-sounding noises as part of a ritual succession of sounds. The male is the main songster and engages in bouts of song lasting for a minute or more. Each of these typically includes four varieties of song type, which follow each other in a regular order without pause.
What the Common Starling sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Chile, Cambodia, Kenya, Aruba.
When to see it
The Common Starling can be seen all year round, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Common Starling?
- The common starling is 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in) long, with a wingspan of 31–44 cm (12–17 in) and a weight of 58–101 g (2.0–3.6 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Common Starling?
- The Common Starling is a medium sized bird weighing about 77 g.
- Where can you see a Common Starling?
- The Common Starling occurs in 122 countries, including the United States, Canada, Sweden, France and the United Kingdom.
- What does a Common Starling sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Common Starling on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Common Starling?
- The Common Starling is most easily confused with the Spotless Starling.
- Is the Common Starling endangered?
- The Common Starling is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Common Starling for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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