Breeding birds: 1.8 million
In breeding season, adult male starlings have glossy black plumage with purple and green iridescence, and darker wings and tail. There are long feathers on the throat. The eyes are dark brown, the bill is yellow with a blue base, and the legs and feet are reddish-brown.
Female starlings are similar to males, but are duller overall, the throat feathers are shorter, the eyes are lighter, and the yellow bill has a pink base.
Out of breeding season, starlings’ feathers have white and buff tips, and they appear speckled. The bill turns dark grey-brown or black. Females are more heavily spotted than males.
Juvenile starlings are dull grey with darker grey patches.
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Starlings breed between April and June and produce 1 or 2 broods a season. They may be monogamous or polygamous and nest in loose colonies on grassland, cliffs, coastal, and agricultural areas, as well as towns and cities.
The nest is placed in a hollow of a tree or a crevice in a building, and they will readily use nest boxes. It is built by the female alone from sticks, dried glasses, plant fibres, twigs, and paper, and lined with finer material such as feathers, wool, and leaves. The male will sometimes decorate it with leaves and petals.
Starlings lay 4 or 5 glossy pale blue eggs which are incubated by both male and female for 12-14 days. Chicks are altricial and covered in greyish-white down. They are fed by both parents and fledge at about 21-23 days after hatching. They reach sexual maturity at 2 years.
If a second clutch is produced this is due to polygamy and the male will offer little or no help in rearing these chicks.
Starlings eat seeds, insects, spiders, worms, and fruit. Starlings that live on the coast will also eat crustaceans and molluscs.
Starlings can be seen all over the UK except in the very highest parts of Scotland. They are most abundant in southern England and in winter will gather in huge roosts.
Starlings form large flocks called murmurations to ward of predators and perhaps to keep warm at night and exchange information.
