Colour: black with purple or green markings
Size: 20 cm
Wingspan: 30 cm
Starlings flocks with as many as thousands of birds can be overwhelming for buildings and trees. The sheer size of their flocks can lead to property and crop damage from pecking and droppings. Those droppings also have the potential to carry disease and parasites. Removing a starling flock can be complicated and requires the professional touch of a company like Greenshield.
Starlings are well adapted to living in a variety of environments. Starlings are ground foragers that feed on a variety of insects in the soil as well as various seeds and fruits available. They tend to prefer open grasslands or habitats with low tree and shrub cover. During the breeding season, starlings will nest in cavities, such as holes in trees or other protected spaces. Starlings are very well adapted to disturbance and can be found in rural and urban environments.
Starling Life Cycle
Breeding starts from mid-April. They nest in loose colonies and isolated pairs. The nest is situated in holes in trees, buildings, in nest boxes and sometimes in holes in the ground. The nest is a loose cup-shaped accumulation of stems, leaves and other plant material. It is lined with feathers and moss. The male begins the construction of the nest before pairing has occurred, the female will then complete it. Both sexes incubate for twelve or thirteen days. Both tend the young, which leave the nest after about twenty days.
Remove all sources of food from the site (this includes everything from bird feeders to unsecured dumpsters, garbage cans, livestock feeding equipment, and pet food containers). Seal any openings over one inch in diameter (check all vents, ducts, and windows). Prune trees on the property to make the land less attractive to starlings as a roosting spot.
Starling Service Prep Guide
There are many things that should be done to prepare for a starling treatment. For the full list of ways to make your starling treatment successful, view our Starling Service Preparation Guide.
Do you have a starling problem in your home or business? Let us ID it for you!
❱ Property Management
❱ Food Services/Restaurant
❱ Retail (Commercial)
❱ Hospitals/Long Term Care Facilities
❱ Hospitality (Hotels, Resorts, B&B, Inns)
❱ Food Manufacturing
❱ Industrial Manufacturing
❱ Utilities(Gas Pipeline, Power Supply)