The common Starling
The common starling or European starling (*Sturnus vulgaris*) is a medium-sized passerine bird from the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about 20 cm in length and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, speckled with white at certain times of the year. The legs are brownish-pink, and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; juvenile birds have brown plumage. It is a noisy bird, especially in communal roosts and other gregarious situations, with an unmusical but varied song. Its gift for imitation has been noted in literature, including in the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare.
The common starling has approximately 12 subspecies that breed in open habitats throughout its native range from temperate Europe and the Palearctic to western Mongolia, and it has been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, and Fiji.[1] This bird is resident in western and southern Europe and southwestern Asia, while populations in the northeast migrate south and west during the winter within the breeding area and also further south toward Iberia and North Africa. The common starling builds an untidy nest in a natural or artificial cavity where four or five glossy, pale blue eggs are laid. These take two weeks to incubate, and the chicks remain in the nest for another three weeks. This species is omnivorous, feeding on a wide range of invertebrates as well as seeds and fruit.