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www.mdavid.com.au |
StarlingsFor most of the Australian population, when you talk about a starling you're thinking of the Common Starling. But there's another type, seen in the north-eastern tropics, which deserves a mention — the Metallic Starling. |
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Common Starling in a Sydney park |
How much of a pest?That depends on where, or who you are. If you're sitting in the middle of a fruit crop that's been decimated by flocks of Common Starlings then you're likely to rank them as serious. Or if your house burned down because starlings clogged up the electrical wiring inside your roof with nests then you'd probably have a dim view of them too. These birds also bring mites into buildings that way, and when the birds leave after they've finished breeding, those parasites then spread through the house, causing bites and irritation to the humans inside. Common Starlings living in the bush will also aggressively take over nesting spots that would have been used by indigenous birds and have been claimed to build their nests right over the top of other nests. However due to their vast numbers these birds do eat a lot of insects and so that might be helping to control some types of insect pests. |
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Common Starling |
In which parts of Australia will you find them?A rough guide would be south-eastern Australia, extending from southern Queensland to South Australia. This species loves towns as well as open spaces. RoostingIn winter, Common Starlings roost at night in huge flocks. I really, really suggest you don't park your car under one of those communal roosts. NestingCommon Starlings will build a messy nest in a crevice in a building or a hole in a tree. In one of more bizarre bird nesting situations I've read about, Neville Cayley's What Bird is That? mentions these birds as being recorded as building a nest on the back of a living sheep. |
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The prominent red eyes are a feature of the Metallic Starling |
Metallic StarlingAplonis metallica Now we get to this other starling in Australia. Your best chances of encountering these guys will be in north-eastern Queensland, although sometimes they've been seen wandering further south. Sit next to a tree full of them and don't expect to manage much conversation. The noise they make can be deafening. Towards sunset giant flocks of these birds will assemble in roosting trees in towns like Port Douglas. I reckon the noise they make is similar to the screeching, chattering noise of Rainbow Lorikeets. Not only to do they roost together, but they nest together too, often taking over a large tree in a rainforest. Metallic Starlings share the Common Starlings' love of fruit, except they don't share the love of insects. They do eat insects but not enough to make much impact on their diet. ReferencesReader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds, 1979 Neville W. Cayley
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