If I were introduced by a famous person at one of my programs, I would keep that story going for as long as possible.

As the story goes, European starlings were introduced into North America when the “American Acclimatization Society” for European settlers released some 80 to 100 birds in Central Park.

The head of this organization, Eugene Schieffelin, wanted to introduce all the birds ever mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare.

They are stocky black birds with short tails, narrow wings, and long, pointed bills. Though they are sometimes resented for their abundance and aggressiveness, I still think they are pretty birds. Covered in white spots during winter, they turn dark and glossy in summer.

So, all starlings are descended from one hundred birds set loose in New York’s Central Park in the early 1890s. European starlings are now among our continent’s most numerous songbirds with an estimated 500 million birds.

Invasive but cute

Starlings are considered an invasive species and have been observed bullying other birds and competing for nesting cavities resulting in a negative impact on many cavity-nesting species, such as bluebirds, woodpeckers and purple martins.

They can be found throughout Europe, northern Africa, parts of Asia, and have been introduced to other parts of the world, including North America.

A strong food palate

In studies of starlings’ sense of taste, scientists have discovered that they can taste salt, sugars, citric acids, and tannins. I know when I was taking young starlings home at night that they showed favoritism toward the berries and grapes over other less sweet fruits and acorns I offered them.

In the wild, their diet includes insects, fruits, seeds, and even garbage. They have an unusual way of eating compared to other birds. The jaw muscles work to force open beaks when digging for grubs, worms and bugs.

They poke their beaks into the ground, opening wide to spread the soil and then picking out exposed larvae and earthworms. They are often seen foraging in lawns, fields and other open areas with short vegetation.

Nesting and mates

Starlings are cavity nesters, readily using holes in trees, buildings or nest boxes. They build a bulky nest of grasses, twigs and other materials within the cavity.

Breeding typically occurs from late March through July. Females lay four to six eggs, and both parents will incubate the eggs with the female taking the night shift.

Both parents feed the nestlings, which fledge (leave the nest) after about 21 days.

The parents continue to feed the young for a few weeks after they fledge. Starlings may have one or two broods per year. Female starlings may try to lay eggs in the nest of another female starling. This parasitic tactic often is because the females could not get a mate early in the breeding season.

Strong vocalists

Starlings are renowned for their vocal abilities, being able to mimic the sounds of other birds such as of killdeer, meadowlarks, bobwhites, thrushes, hawks, robins and many others. They also mimic dogs, cats, crying babies and even mechanical noises like car alarms.

Their songs are complex, with a wide range of notes, clicks and whistles.

Starlings are cousins to the Mynah bird and are outstanding mimics. Individuals have been known to mimic the calls of up to 20 different bird species.

A pretty plumage

My nana never appreciated those “black birds” because she only viewed them from a distance and considered them ugly, but up-close starlings have iridescent feathers that display shades of green, blue and purple.

Their plumage changes seasonally, with winter plumage displaying white spots and a duller appearance. In the breeding season, their bills turn yellow with different colored bases (blue for males, pink for females).

Their plumage turns from spotted and white to glossy and dark each year without shedding their feathers. The new feathers they grow in fall have bold white tips — that is what gives them their spots.

By spring, these tips have worn away, and the rest of the feather is dark and iridescent brown. Scientists term “wear molt.”

Birds of a feather flock together

Starlings are highly social birds, living and traveling in flocks, especially during migration and in winter.

They can be found in a wide range of habitats, including urban areas, agricultural fields, and even coastal areas. They readily adapt to human presence and can be found near dumps and landfills.

European Starlings have a highly adaptable diet and eat a wide variety of foods, such as snails, worms, millipedes and spiders, in addition to fruits, berries, grains and seeds.

Even though these birds are considered invasive and bullies, they do have an important role in reducing the numbers of some of the major insect pests that damage farm crops.

Starling murmurations are one of the most amazing spectacles to witness.

The numbers within a murmuration may number in the hundreds of thousands. I have only had the chance to see this amazing aerial display once. It’s believed the swirling patterns disorient and confuse predators like hawks and falcons making it harder to target an individual bird.

Another theory is that the birds may be gathering to share information about food sources and other important locations and that this helps maintain social bonds and coordinate their activities.

I know my opinion is not a popular one, but I am glad that Eugene Schieffelin released those starlings so many years ago.

Jeannie Carl is a naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center in Summit Hill. The center rehabilitates injured animals and educates the public on a variety of wildlife found in the area. For information on the Carbon County Environmental Center, visit www.carboneec.org.