Latin name

Sturnus vulgaris

Smaller than blackbirds, with a short tail, pointed head, triangular wings, starlings look black at a distance but when seen closer they are very glossy with a sheen of purples and greens. Their flight is fast and direct and they walk and run confidently on the ground. Noisy and gregarious, starlings spend a lot of the year in flocks. Still one of the commonest of garden birds, its decline elsewhere makes it a Red List species.

Where to see them

Conspicuous and widespread in the UK, occurring everywhere except for the highest parts of the Scottish Highlands. They are most abundant in southern England and are more thinly distributed in upland areas with moorland. Still the UK's commonest garden bird. Huge roosts are found in plantations, reed beds and city centres.

© 2007 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Charity registered in England and Wales no 207076, in Scotland no SCO 37654