Starling is a bird belonging to the order of passeriformes, the family of starlings. The length of the body is about 23 cm, and the weight is about 75 g. Due to the short neck and massive body, an impression of clumsiness is created. His legs are strong with large
curved claws. The beak is long, thin, yellow, slightly lowered downwards. The tail is short, straight. The starling has a black feather color with a metallic sheen in spring. The bird, whose plumage description depends on the season, turns black with white flecks by autumn.
Almost everyone knows about the benefits of the common starling, which was discussed above, since childhood. In spring, they walk through fields, parks and gardens, looking for and eating insects and larvae. In the summer they feed on caterpillars and beetles, and during the feeding period, the chicks fly to the nest about 300 times a day, bringing several bugs each time.
The common starling is a migratory bird, flying to warmer countries for the winter, usually to northern Africa or southern Europe. After such travels, various “medleys” appear in the repertoire of this singing bird, including “African melodies” borrowed from birds during the winter.
Many people associate starling withbirdhouse, but this is a forest bird, arranging its nests in hollows in trees. But finding them is not easy. And a person wants to settle this useful bird closer to himself, so he installs birdhouses. And her "work" is always near human habitation.
Besides the common species, an interesting representative of this family is the pink starling - a bird that fully justifies its name. It settles near the steppes, desert or semi-desert plains, as it feeds mainly on locusts. Of course, if it is not there, then it can eat other insects. But the locust is the main thing. For her sake, he is able to fly a long distance. A pink starling can eat up to 200 grams of locust (twice its weight) per day. The bird feeds her offspring.
These birds move in dense flocks. From a distance, it looks like some kind of pink cloud. After landing on the ground, they continue to move in the same direction,
collecting and eating insects on the run. The pink starling is a peaceful bird, there are no fights and quarrels between them. They nest in colonies of several hundred pairs. Nests are arranged in rock crevices, in various burrows, between stones.
And this family also includes the catkin starling - a bird that is only similar in size to its relatives, living exclusively in Africa. The adjective in the name was due to the fact that during the breeding season, fleshy growths resembling earrings appear on the males' heads. They build nests in trees, not in hollows, using a lot of dry twigs,creating a domed structure. There can be many such "houses" on one plant, because This bird is also colonial. The catkin starling feeds exclusively on locusts. The bird even hatches chicks at a time when these insects stop moving and stop to breed. With the resumption of movement of the locust, the birds take off and follow it.
There are such different starlings, but all of them, of course, are useful for humans. Some nations even consider it a crime to kill this wonderful bird.
