Introduced Species
Common Starling by Darcy
COMMON STARLING
The common starling, (also known as the European starling, or sometimes just the Starling), is a medium-sized passerine bird in
a group called the Starling family.
Scientific name: Sturnus vulgaris
Rank: species
Higher classification: Sturnus
When, How and why did the Common Starling come to Australia?
What impact did the Common Starling have to the Australian environment?
Starlings are frequently considered pests because of the problems they cause.
Starlings are also responsible for transferring diseases. Although starlings may be involved in the spread of other livestock diseases, their part in these diseases are not yet to be understood.Starlings cause other damage by eating good and healthy fruits such as grapes, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, figs, apples, and cherries. They were recently found to damage ripening corn, a problem that recently happened with blackbirds. In some areas starlings pull sprouting grains, particularly wheat, and eat the planted seeds. Starlings are known to damage turf on golf courses as they look for grubs. Starlings make large nests that are found in buildings, industrial structures, or, along with blackbird species, in trees near homes. Starlings are also well know pests to orchards
(a type of flower)The Common Starling is a very big problem to the environment.
The impact on humans and Aboriginals
The place the Common Starling is originally native to.
Basic Facts
SIZE AND SHAPE
Starlings are big and blackbird-sized, but with short tails and long, smooth beaks. In flight their wings are short and pointed, making them look rather like small, four-pointed stars (and giving them their name). Starlings can also sneak into small places and destroy many things.
Behavior
Starlings are loud, and they travel in large groups (often with blackbirds). They race across fields, beak down and probing the grass for food; or they sit high on wires or trees making a constant stream of rattles, whirrs, and whistles. When a starling destroys something as bad as fruit that the farmers plant it can not be easily changed.