Bird guide · Sturnus vulgaris
European Starling
What the European starling eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Partial migrant
- Size
- 8.5 in (21.5 cm)
- Eats
- suet, mealworms, kitchen scraps
- Feeds
- suet cage, tray/platform, ground
- Most common
- Kentucky, Nebraska, Utah
Food
What do European starlings eat?
At feeders, European starlings take suet, mealworms, kitchen scraps.
Best known for squabbling at feeders; forms huge winter flocks and murmurations.
Feeder that suits it
A suet cage on a tree trunk or pole; peanuts and sunflower hearts work too.
Range
Where do European starlings live?
Across Britain and Ireland, Red-listed; US: introduced in 1890 and now abundant across most of the continent. By share of all bird sightings, European starlings are most common in Kentucky (2.4%).
States where European starlings are most common
- Kentucky2.4%
- Nebraska2.4%
- Utah2.3%
- New York2.2%
- Idaho2.2%
- Oklahoma2.2%
- West Virginia2.2%
- Illinois2.2%
- Montana2.1%
- Pennsylvania2.1%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are European starlings, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the European starling migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are European starlings, by month.
Identification
How to identify the European starling
Adults: Glossy black with purple and green sheen; white-spotted in winter.
Size: 8.5 in (21.5 cm)
Nesting
Does the European starling use nest boxes?
Yes. Uses birdhouses and nests in eaves.
On camera
Getting the European starling on a feeder camera
Pick a camera feeder that takes a suet cage, or mount a separate camera next to a suet feeder on the trunk – woodpeckers cling to the bark while they feed.
Questions
European Starling: questions
What do European starlings eat?
At feeders, suet, mealworms, kitchen scraps.
Do European starlings migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Where do European starlings live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Kentucky, Nebraska, Utah, New York, Idaho. They are rare or absent in Hawaii.