The common starling is widespread throughout Europe, not only thanks to the man who was engaged in the resettlement of birds to other countries and continents. The starling is a surprisingly unpretentious bird that easily adapts to any conditions and can nest in any suitable place. Where a starling finds a depression, it will become its home.
Where starlings build their nests
The habitat of the common starling is extremely wide: it is distributed in all biogeographic regions, excluding Central and South America. The bird is unpretentious in food (omnivorous) and choice of habitat. The common starling lives throughout Europe - up to the Arctic Circle in the north and Greece in the south. In the cold season, starlings fly from the northern regions to warm countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria. Birds from the south of Europe are sedentary - it makes no sense for them to leave their native lands.
Where do starlings live?
Starlings never climb high in the mountains and live only in flat areas, in swamps, steppes, coastal areas. Usually these birds settle in deciduous forests near a reservoir, clearings and fields, where they look for food, and nest in tree holes. If there is no hollow, the starlings will find another home.
Starlings get along well with people and are found in rural areas near farms and in larger settlements. Sown fields become the feeding area for starlings, and houses and other buildings become nesting areas.
Building a nest
During the breeding season, starlings look for a place to nest. They choose closed places for their home and willingly settle on artificially created nesting sites. As soon as they find a suitable place, they begin to sing loud cheerful songs near it.
Starlings nest in pairs or colonies. The female is engaged in the construction of the nest. The male helps: he brings building material - dry grass, branches and other "necessary garbage". Starlings spread the cavity of the tree trunk with a soft bedding of their grass and feathers.
Starling chicks are born helpless. In the first days of life, they behave silently so that no one finds their location. Male and female absent for food and leave the babies alone. Therefore, the place for the nest must be chosen carefully by the parent birds. Only a few species of starlings nest in open areas, making ball-shaped nests with a side entrance on the ground.
Favorite nesting places
Birds easily adapt to new conditions and can build nests anywhere. In fact, all kinds of voids are suitable for the starling. Starlings choose tree hollows, building niches, cracks in rocks, and steep banks as places for building a nest. They are not afraid of close proximity to people: the starling's nest can be found under the balcony or roof of the building. Starlings are also friendly with other birds - their houses can be found in the bases of large nests of birds of prey.
Human-made birdhouses are ideal for starlings. It is thanks to the birdhouses that these birds have become so widespread. For centuries, people have attracted starlings to the house, which destroyed harmful insects in gardens and vegetable gardens. Starlings settled near stables and farmyards, destroying blood-sucking insects - horseflies, flies, gadflies. This neighborhood benefited the starlings, and their habitat continues to expand.
