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 →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a European Starling sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, based on 58 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Orange-crowned Warbler
Leiothlypis celata
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
Hooded Oriole
Icterus cucullatus
Cactus Wren
Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Loggerhead Shrike
Lanius ludovicianus
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
📅 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 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve?
About 7% of wildlife watchers report a European Starling sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, based on 58 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see European Starling in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve?
June has the highest sighting rate for European Starling in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve in our monthly data.