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 →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a European Starling sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, based on 82 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Red-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Regulus satrapa
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
📅 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 Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
About 14% of wildlife watchers report a European Starling sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, based on 82 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see European Starling in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for European Starling in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in our monthly data.