European Starling
European StarlingEuropean StarlingEuropean StarlingEuropean Starling

European Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
30–40% · Possible
overall probability at Tongariro National Park
132 Verified records at Tongariro National Park
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 Tongariro National Park, based on 132 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Tongariro National Park

New Zealand Fantail
LC Endemic

New Zealand Fantail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rhipidura fuliginosa

80–90% · Very likely
Chaffinch
LC

Chaffinch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Fringilla coelebs

80–90% · Very likely
Silvereye
LC Endemic

Silvereye

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Zosterops lateralis

70–80% · Very likely
Tūī
LC Endemic

Tūī

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae

70–80% · Very likely
Grey Warbler
LC Endemic

Grey Warbler

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gerygone igata

70–80% · Very likely
Eurasian Blackbird
LC Endemic

Eurasian Blackbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Turdus merula

70–80% · Very likely
Welcome Swallow
LC

Welcome Swallow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hirundo neoxena

60–70% · Likely
New Zealand Bellbird
LC Endemic

New Zealand Bellbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anthornis melanura

50–60% · Likely
Popokatea
LC Endemic

Popokatea

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mohoua albicilla

40–50% · Likely
Miromiro
LC Endemic

Miromiro

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Petroica macrocephala

40–50% · Likely
Song Thrush
LC

Song Thrush

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Turdus philomelos

30–40% · Possible
Eurasian Goldfinch
LC

Eurasian Goldfinch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Carduelis carduelis

30–40% · Possible

📅 Monthly Probability

30–40
Jan
20–30
Feb
30–40
Mar
40–50
Apr
30–40
May
40–50
Jun
20–30
Jul
20–30
Aug
30–40
Sep
30–40
Oct
40–50
Nov
50–60
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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

# Park Country Probability
1 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
70–80%
2 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
70–80%
3 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
60–70%
4 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
60–70%
5 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
60–70%
6 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
50–60%
7 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
50–60%
8 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
40–50%
9 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
40–50%
10 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
30–40%
11 Tongariro National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
30–40%
12 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
30–40%
13 Fiordland National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
30–40%
14 Rakiura National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
30–40%
15 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
30–40%
16 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
30–40%
17 Abel Tasman National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
20–30%
18 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
19 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
20 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
21 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
20–30%
22 Arthur's Pass National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
20–30%
23 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
24 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
20–30%
25 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
26 Aoraki Mount Cook National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
20–30%
27 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
20–30%
28 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
29 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
30 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
20–30%
31 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
20–30%
32 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
20–30%
33 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
34 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
35 Maria Island National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
10–20%
36 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
37 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
38 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
39 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
40 Freycinet National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
10–20%
41 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
10–20%
42 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
43 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
44 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
10–20%
45 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
46 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
47 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
48 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
5–10%
49 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
50 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
5–10%
51 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
52 Thingvellir National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
5–10%
53 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
54 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
55 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
5–10%
56 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
5–10%
57 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
58 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
59 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
60 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
5–10%
61 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
5–10%
62 Hemis National Park 🇮🇳 India
5–10%
63 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
5–10%
64 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
65 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
66 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
67 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
68 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
69 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
70 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
71 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
72 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
73 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
<5%
74 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
75 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
76 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
77 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
78 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
79 Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
80 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
81 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
82 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
83 Flinders Ranges National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
84 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
85 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
86 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
87 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data
88 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
89 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
Insufficient data
90 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
Insufficient data
91 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
Insufficient data
92 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
Insufficient data
93 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
94 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
95 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a European Starling in Tongariro National Park?

About 37% of wildlife watchers report a European Starling sighting in Tongariro National Park, based on 132 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see European Starling in Tongariro National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for European Starling in Tongariro National Park in our monthly data.

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