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U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Invasive Species Information Center
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Home » Species Profiles » Terrestrial Invasives » Terrestrial Vertebrates » European Starling

European Starling

European Starling
Scientific Name:
Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 (ITIS)
Common Name:
European starling, common starling, English starling
Photo:
European Starling, Adult - Lee Karney USDA, Agricultural Research Service.
Native To:
Eurasia (Fofonoff et al. 2003)
Date of U.S. Introduction:
1890 (Fofonoff et al. 2003)
Means of Introduction:
Introduced as part of a plan to introduce to the U.S. all birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare (Fofonoff et al. 2003)
Impact:
Competes with native species; destroys crops (Fofonoff et al. 2003)

Images

Selected Resources

The section below contains selected highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. To view all related content for this species, click on "View all resources for species" in the top left of this page.

Partnership

Global Invasive Species Database - Sturnus vulgaris (bird)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Species Compendium - Sturnus vulgaris
CAB International.
Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage: European Starlings and Their Control (PDF | 759 KB)
Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management.
See also: Birds for more fact sheets
Texas Invasives Database - Sturnus vulgaris
TexasInvasives.org.
The Quiet Invasion: A Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area - European Starling

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Galveston Bay Estuary Program; Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC).

Federal Government

Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory - Sturnus vulgaris
Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.
National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS): Chesapeake Bay Introduced Species Database - Sturnus vulgaris
Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Marine Invasions Research Lab.
Wildlife Damage - Blackbirds and European Starlings
USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

International Government

PestSmart Connect - Common Starling

Centre for Invasive Species Solutions (Australia).

State and Local Government

Field Guide: Invasive - European Starling
Missouri Department of Conservation.
Invasive Terrestrial Animals: European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Living with Wildlife: Starlings
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Tennessee's Birds: European Starling
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Academic

All About Birds - European Starling
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
Note: Nesting Behavior
Animal Diversity Web - Sturnus vulgaris
University of Michigan. Museum of Zoology.
Introduced Species Summary Project - European Starling
Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.
Starling Management in Agriculture (Aug 1998) (PDF | 692 KB)
University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Cooperative Extension.
Note: Economics of Damage and Control
Texas Breeding Bird Atlas - European Starling
Texas A&M University. AgriLife Extension Service.

Citations

  • Fofonoff, P.W., G.M. Ruiz, B. Steves, A.H. Hines, and J.T. Carlton. 2003. Sturnus vulgaris. National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System: Chesapeake Bay Introduced Species Database. [Accessed Sep 16, 2014].
  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Sturnus vulgaris. [Accessed Sep 10, 2014].