Common starling

Scientific name: Sturnus vulgaris

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Stocky, short-tailed songbirds with iridescent black plumage that shows purple and green sheen in good light. In non-breeding season, they display white spotting on dark feathers; breeding males appear uniformly glossy black with minimal spotting and yellow bill.

Size and weight

Adult weight 75–100 g; body length 19–23 cm. Males average slightly heavier and larger than females; sexes otherwise similar except for bill colour intensity during breeding.

Habitat

Common starlings occupy open and semi-open landscapes including grasslands, cultivated fields, orchards, parks, and urban/suburban areas. They prefer low to moderate elevations with access to short vegetation or bare ground for foraging.

Distribution

Native to Eurasia and North Africa; now widespread across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa following introduced populations. Favour agricultural zones and human settlements across temperate and subtropical regions.

Diet

Omnivorous, feeding primarily on invertebrates (beetles, flies, earthworms, grasshoppers) during breeding season and shifting to seeds, berries, and grain in autumn and winter.

Behaviour

Highly social and diurnal; roost communally in large flocks that may number thousands. Active foragers on ground and in trees; perform acrobatic flight displays and produce varied vocalizations including mimicry.

Hunting tips

Look for concentrated droppings and feeding signs in short grass, fields, and around structures. Approach flocks during active foraging hours (dawn and dusk) using terrain features to mask movement until close range. Use decoys to draw birds into open areas; flocks are responsive to distress calls and will return to feeding areas repeatedly after disturbance.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 8 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.