Common Starling

The common starling, known simply as the starling in Britain and Ireland and as the European starling in North America, is a medium-sized songbird about 20 centimetres long with glossy black, white-speckled plumage, a metallic sheen, pink legs and a bill that turns from black in winter to yellow in summer. Native to temperate Europe and the Palearctic east to western Mongolia, it has been introduced as an invasive species to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa and Fiji. It nests in cavities, lays four or five pale blue eggs that hatch in about two weeks, and is omnivorous, taking a wide range of invertebrates as well as seeds and fruit; large flocks can help agriculture by controlling insect pests but can also become pests themselves by feeding on fruit crops.