A pesky speckled bird

This pretty bird with white speckles is a common starling. It has been introduced to several countries of the world, but is native to Europe and western Asia. It is often viewed as an unwanted guest.

Congregating in small flocks, common starlings can be frustrating at a winter bird feeder. The flock may return day after day, inundating the feeder and surrounding area, chasing native birds away. A few ways to deflect the flock of starlings is to allow your feeder to go empty for a few days or to move the bird feeder to the other side of your house.

The common starling will eat a large variety of foods, from insects to nuts and fruits such as peaches and cherries or even a hamburger and French fries. They will nest in purple martin birdhouses, cavities in trees, inside the walls of old buildings, or almost any hollow space that has a hole big enough for them to enter.

During summer the common starling has a yellow beak. During winter the beak of an adult common starling is black. Juvenile common starlings have more brown feathers.