Noisy Starlings

Today I was struck by the noise a flock of European Starlings was making in the treetops around the puddle. It didn’t stop once for the whole hour I sat there.

I recorded their calls on this video. (If the video does not show up in your email just press the title- Noisy Starlings) You have to use your imagination and think of the calls as much louder than I could record or maybe put your ear close to the speakers.

I thought I would investigate their calls and here is what I found from a wonderful bird site http://www.allaboutbirds.org/  (just press the address to visit the site) “Starlings are relatives of the mynah birds, and like them they have impressive vocal abilities and a gift for mimicry. They can mimic the Meadowlark, Jay, and hawk. Male and female starlings use about 10 kinds of calls to communicate about where they are, whether there’s danger around, and how aggressive or agitated they feel.”

There is a great and tragic story about the European Starling. As their name suggests, it is not native to the United States. They were introduced guess where… right here in Central Park not a quarter of a mile from the puddle! It was one of the most boneheaded moves in the history of misguided cultural chauvinism. A group wanted to introduce all the birds Shakespeare ever mentioned into the USA. One hundred Starlings (mentioned in Henry IV Part I) were released in Shakespeare’s Garden in 1890. From the original hundred there are now 200 million reeking havoc on native bird populations across North America.

Here is a picture of the beautiful but destructive bird.