The starling is a songbird. Although it can be seen year-round, it is a migratory bird. The starlings we see here in the summer are south in the winter and our winter starlings are north in the summer.
Starlings nest in natural cavities in trees, in nest boxes but also in buildings. They probe the soil of meadows and lawns in search of insect larvae.
After breeding season, starlings gather on large roosts. In the fall, many starlings come to our area from Northern and Central Europe. Dense clouds of thousands of starlings form around the roosts, beautifully "undulating" up and down in the air.
In the winter months, the starling has black plumage with a purplish-green glow and distinctive white speckles. In breeding plumage, starlings are colored black with a glow of purple, blue and green. Young starlings have brown, nondescript plumage until September.
They are quite noisy. Pointed bill that is yellow in the breeding season, dark gray/black outside of it.