 After two failed attempts , about 60 common starlings were released in 1890 into New York 's Central Park by Eugene Schieffelin . He was president of the American Acclimatization Society , which tried to introduce every bird species mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare into North America . About the same date , the Portland Song Bird Club released 35 pairs of common starlings in Portland , Oregon . These birds became established but disappeared around 1902 . Common starlings reappeared in the Pacific Northwest in the mid @-@ 1940s and these birds were probably descendants of the 1890 Central Park introduction . The original 60 birds have since swelled in number to 150 million , occupying an area extending from southern Canada and Alaska to Central America . 
 After two failed attempts , about 60 common starlings <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> released in 1890 into New York <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'s</mark></a>Central Park by Eugene Schieffelin . He was president of the American Acclimatization Society , which tried to introduce every bird species mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare into North America . About the same date , the Portland Song Bird Club<a href='been_done' title='3'><mark></mark></a> released 35 pairs of common starlings in Portland , Oregon . These birds became established but disappeared around 1902 . Common starlings reappeared in the Pacific Northwest in the mid @-@ 1940s and these birds <a href='uninflect' title='4'><mark>were</mark></a> probably descendants of the 1890 Central Park introduction . The original 60 birds <a href='been_done' title='5'><mark>have</mark></a> since swelled in number to 150 million , occupying an area extending from southern Canada and Alaska to Central America . 
After two failed attempts , abt 60 common starlings was released in 1890 into New York  Central Park by jville Schieffelin . He was president of the American Acclimatization Society , which tried to introduce every bird species mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare into North America . About the same date , da Portland Song Bird Club done released 35 pairs of common starlings in Portland , Oregon . These birds became established but disappeared around 1902 . Common starlings reappeared in the Pacific Northwest in the mid @-@ 1940s and these birds was probably descendants of the 1890 Central Park introduction . The original 60 birds done since swelled in number to 150 million , occupying an area extending from southern Canada and Alaska to Central America .