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Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris


Where is it found?

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Woodlands, scrubland, grassland, farmland, suburban and urban areas.

Diet and foraging method

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Forage on the ground. Probe the ground for insects and take them from the surface, also occasionally take insects from the air in flight
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Key adaptations

Their large, strong jaw muscles are specially adapted to force the bill open underground to allow them to catch insects in the soil.

Social organisation and mating system

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Live in flocks
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Form monogamous breeding pairs

Did you know that...?

Starlings can mimic other birds songs and noise they hear. Starlings thus have a huge repertoire of sounds, up to 60!

Taxonomy

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Picture credits:

Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Sturnus vulgaris -England-8" by chapmankj75 - StarlingUploaded by Snowmanradio. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sturnus_vulgaris_-England-8.jpg#/media/File:Sturnus_vulgaris_-England-8.jpg
"Toulouse - Sturnus vulgaris - 2012-02-26 - 3" by PierreSelim - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toulouse_-_Sturnus_vulgaris_-_2012-02-26_-_3.jpg#/media/File:Toulouse_-_Sturnus_vulgaris_-_2012-02-26_-_3.jpg
"Sturnus vulgaris m". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sturnus_vulgaris_m.jpg#/media/File:Sturnus_vulgaris_m.jpg
"SturnusVulgarisGould" by John Gould - Birds of Asia, Vol. IV, Parts XIX,-XXIV,by John Gould, 1867-72. Painted by John Gould & Henry C. Richter.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SturnusVulgarisGould.jpg#/media/File:SturnusVulgarisGould.jpg
"Starling Inishbofin Galway" by Craig Nash from Northern Ireland - Starling Sturnus vulgaris. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starling_Inishbofin_Galway.jpg#/media/File:Starling_Inishbofin_Galway.jpg

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