Hobbies And Interests
Starlings
Starlings are stocky birds with a stubby, square tail and long wings. Over 200 million Starlings are thought to live in North America and are known as European starlings. The adults are mostly black with green and blue or purple iridescence highlights that reflect in the light. In winter they develop bright white spots. The juvenile is a dull, gray-brown color. Starlings have long, pointed yellow beaks. They have long legs and large heads in proportion to their bodies.
Starlings are a member of the family Sturnidae. They are 8-9 inches long with a 12-15 inch wingspan. Their call sounds squeaky or raspy and they can mimic other birds' sounds.
Habitat
Starlings live anywhere, from cities to farms, and travel in large flocks, eating seed from the ground, earning them a reputation as a pest from farmers. They also eat fruit, insects and food discarded by humans. They can be aggressive, often evicting other birds from nesting sites to make their own and lay four to eight pale blue or green eggs.
History
The European starling was introduced to North America in the 19th century from England. It ranges across the entire continental United States and Canada. Starlings do not migrate so they are seen at feeders year-round. Other species of starlings are found in Europe, the Americas and Asia.
Sparrows
Sparrows are smaller than starlings, at 5-6 inches in length with a 10-inch wingspan. The wings are rounded and the tail is fan shaped. Their color is brown or gray, often with pale gray stomachs. Their heads have black or red-brown strips and their wings are striped, also in white, gray or black. The beak is short and stout and light colored.
Sparrows are members of the family Passeridae. There are hundreds of different kinds of sparrows but the most common is the house sparrow. The male house sparrow is gray with brown and black streaks on his wings and a black cap on the head. The females and juveniles are mostly gray and brown with no black cap. The sparrow call is a series of chirps and sounds like "cheep cheep cheep."
Habitat
Sparrows live in all different habitats from cities to country fields. They are ground feeders and hop from spot to spot while on the ground. Sparrows eat seed, insects and fruits.
Sparrows like to build nests in man-made nest boxes or a natural tree cavity and lay three to seven blue or green eggs.
History
The house sparrow was also introduced to North America from Europe in the mid-19th century. They range from Alaska to Central America and southern South America. Different sparrow species are found just about everywhere but Antarctica and number in the hundreds of millions.