European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilySturnidae (Starlings)
- GenusSturnus (European and Spotless Starlings)
- SpeciesSturnus vulgaris (European Starling)
The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, and as the European starling in North America, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of the year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the Mabinogion and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare. The common starling has about 12 subspecies breeding in open habitats across its native range in temperate Europe and across the Palearctic to western Mongolia, and it has been introduced as an invasive species to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa and Fiji. This bird is resident in western and southern Europe and southwestern Asia, while northeastern populations migrate south and west in the winter within the breeding range and also further south to Iberia and North Africa. Wikipedia →
30–40% of wildlife watchers report a European Starling sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park, based on 496 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Bavarian Forest National Park
Eurasian Blackbird
Turdus merula
Great Tit
Parus major
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleus
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Common Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybita
Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
European Robin
Erithacus rubecula
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytes
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapilla
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaea
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandarius
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinella
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a European Starling in Bavarian Forest National Park?
About 39% of wildlife watchers report a European Starling sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park, based on 496 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see European Starling in Bavarian Forest National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for European Starling in Bavarian Forest National Park in our monthly data.