Scientific name:
Sturnus vulgaris

Natural spread:
Europe

in west and Southern Europe is stand-birds the stars; the populations of the east European and Asian spread-area cover its winter-quarters in the Mediterranean-countries (until North-Africa) and southwest-Asia. In the course of this century, the type stretched exactly in north and Western Europe considerably, which however on the one side with the increase of the middle yearly-temperature, on the other side with its behavior as Kulturfolger is connected. The star could at also many places, Z. B. Successfully, North America, South Africa and Australia, is naturalized. The most different habitats were populated.

Way of life Certainly, light forests, with grass-surfaces durchmischt, come the best towards the needs of the stars. However, they are fields in the culture-country, on meadows, as well and in gardens native. its food is composed from insects and its larvae, snails and worms; it is supplemented gladly through juicy fruits and berries. The starlings look predominantly for the animal food at the ground. Here, a typical behavior is to be observed. The birds drill the beak into the soft ground and open it on that occasion in order to widen (they "measure exactly") the so originated pit. The loot then is tracked down with the tongue.

Shape After the molt in the late summer, the feathers finish in white tops so that one virtually calls the animals "Perlstare." In the course of the winter, the tops use themselves again from, and to the incubation, the birds carry a blackish plumage with metallic shine. In the spring, also the dark-blue beak becomes shining lemon-yellow.

Brood The Starenmännchen looks for a suitable Nisthöhle at beginning of the reproductive-time and defends its property through typical behaviors, that are it perform courtship display opposite the female comparable. Probably everyone saw already a star sitting on an elevated point over its Niststätte if it flap-finishes its song sings. With it ahmt it gladly the voices of other birds after. The male begins also already early to bring in stalks and blooms until a female also-joins. This then takes over the actual nest-construction. The first nests are to be found against end of April; they usually consist of 4 -6 light-blue or blue-green-shiny eggs. With the brood, the sexes frequently take turns. After it still remains the boys in the nest slips approximately 3 weeks and must be fed by both alto-birds eagerly. But also at the first trips, they still constantly ask for the parental care.

Traveling-trains Already during the incubation, the males gather to so-called collective-flights in the evening, sing together and collapse into preferred roosts to hundred, later into many larger accumulations. The starlings like to sleep on the subsequent hikes amidst of cities (Z). B. on the Stachus in Munich. Here they cause some traffic-technical problems, that getting hold of only heavily is, even if most modern methods (Z) are applied. B. Returns of repulsive, characteristic warning-reputations of tape.