Few know how starlings look

Birds have the ability to fly for a long time and are dispersed everywhere very actively. Most of them live in the forest, and only a few - in populated areas, closer to man. Observation of the behavior and habits of birds is a very pleasant experience. If you are curious to know what kind of starling you are, then read this article.

How to distinguish among other birds

Often we hear the singing of different birds, but we do not know who is delighting our hearing. Few, for example, know how starlings look. The photos in the article will help you to distinguish these birds among others. These birds live in a flat area.

How do starlings look? It is a small bird in size. Its length is from 20 to 25 cm, and the weight is not more than 100 grams, the physique is dense. The tail is short, consisting of 12 steering feathers, wings of moderate length, legs strong. The bird has a long and sharp beak. Depending on the season, its color changes. Starlings go with a yellow beak in the spring, and by the autumn it begins to turn black. They usually have a dark color with a greenish and reddish tint. When autumn comes, on the feathers of this bird you can see white spots, with the arrival of spring they disappear.

By external signs, you can determine who is before you - a male or female. The beak of males has a bluish spot. At the female in this place you can see a red speck. The young starling has a black beak, and the color of the feathers is brown. In nature, you can meet a pink starling. In the spring, his body becomes pink, the tail, head and wings remain black. By autumn the plumage of the starling again becomes brown with the presence of pink and yellow tint.

Starlings are birds of temperate latitudes, nomadic or sedentary. They are very smart, they fly easily and quickly. At the same time, a noise is heard from the wing wing. Now, knowing how the starlings look, you can watch them, this is a very interesting activity.

Starling as a separate species

In nature there are 100 species of these birds. But on all continents there is an ordinary starling. This is a separate species of the kind of starlings. His homeland is the western regions of Asia and Europe. Usually these birds do not migrate in winter. From the north-eastern regions they fly south only if there is a possibility of severe colds.

The starling in the nesting period forms colonies, in which there are usually several pairs of birds. They are apart from each other at a distance of 10 to 15 meters. These birds tend to move in packs. It can number several dozen individuals.

Starlings feed on plant foods, insects and even can eat the waste left by humans. They prefer to eat food right in the air or on the ground. This bird takes out earthworms and larvae from the ground with a beak. Starlings are very fond of fruit, berries, seeds and vegetables. They very cleverly can tear up trash bags with their beaks to eat the remains of food.

Behavior and habitats

Starlings move well along the stems of reeds and branches of trees. Going down to the ground, walk leisurely. When they look out for food, they begin to incline their head incessantly, turning either to the right or to the left. These birds are good singers. They have a loud, slightly raspy voice. They tend to imitate the singing of other birds and even the voice of a person. Can mimic the bleating of sheep, the croaking of a frog, the click of a scourge, the barking of a dog. Starlings have learned to represent the noise of a typewriter or the sound of a mobile call. When they arrive in the spring from the south, they sing with the voices of subtropical birds.

Starlings live in a flat area. They can be found from the lower to the middle belt of the mountains. Nests starlings arrange in private places. It can be a hollow, a deepening of steep slopes, cracks in a rock or an earthen mound. If birds nest in populated areas, they arrange nests under the roofs of houses, under balconies and in various niches.

How many times a year do chicks

Two egg laying per year among starlings occurs in temperate and southern regions. In northern latitudes, they lay eggs once a year. In the clutch there may be 4-7 monophonic bluish, whitish or greenish eggs. Hatching of chicks lasts from 2 to 3 weeks. The same time is necessary for their feeding. Very funny photo, how starlings look when they just hatched from the egg.

Relationship starling with other representatives of fauna and humans

Now you know which starling is in life. It is not out of place to learn about his relationship with man, other birds and animals. So, for example, they with great pleasure can be near the ferret and with it there is food. In their colonies these feathered aliens do not tolerate.

A starling man benefits by saving green plantings from insects. Flocks of birds well fertilize the soil with their litter. In the spring, starlings roam the fields with rooks. Since ancient times, people, knowing how the starling looks and what its size, were building bird houses, so that the birds could live comfortably. They take great care of their offspring and always bring food to the nest in the nest.

Damage to agriculture

In Russia, starlings are often found in the courtyards of houses. The hosts, knowing how the starlings look, admire them. The singing of this bird pleases the hearing of a person. By nature, starlings are very gullible and bold. In the middle of summer young birds fly out of the nests and begin to roam the meadows in noisy flocks. In the autumn period from mid-September to early October, the migration of starlings begins. Many of them fly away in early November, when the first snow falls. For the winter, single starlings and their small flocks remain with warm pre-winter. During this period, their mass accumulation can become a serious threat to agriculture. They begin to peck berries and eat grain crops, thereby causing significant economic damage.