Category Archives: How did they get here?

How the European Starling Took Over North America

October 8, 2024 rmsallmanngmailcom Leave a comment

European Starlings are extremely recognizable birds. Known for their glossy iridescent sheen, undulating flocks, and ability to imitate sounds, these birds are common and widespread across the globe. While Starlings inhabit many different continents, in North America, they are considered by many to be an invasive pest. Much of the ill will toward starlings comes from the fact that they are an introduced species originally from Europe. In fact, the story behind the European Starlings introduction is one of the most iconic in a long history of people meddling in nature. Involving societies devoted to the importation of nonnative species, misinformation about a notorious pharmacist, and even William Shakespeare, the starling’s journey from beloved European species to American antagonist is one you’ll want to stay tuned for.

Before getting too deep into the story of the European Starlings’ cross continental trip to the new world, let’s take a moment to understand it as a species. The European Starling is a fascinating bird with a glossy black base-color, iridescent green and purple sheen, and a bright yellow bill. An interesting fact about the appearance of these birds is that when they molt, the new feathers are white tipped, giving the starling a speckled appearance. As these feathers wear out, they lose these spots in exchange for an inky black look. Not only are these birds quite pretty, but also quite interesting. European Starlings travel in large flocks that look mesmerizing in the sky. These massive groups are called murmurations and are quite the spectacle to see. Starlings have impressive vocal abilities and imitate a wide array of sounds. They can even mimic human speech.

European Starlings are common in cities, agricultural areas, and other places inhabited by people. They feed on an extremely wide variety of food items including insects, fruits, seeds, and discarded scraps, making the species highly adaptable.

Now for the story of the starling’s trip across the ocean and westward incursion. The fascinating thing about this story is that there are multiple versions. The most well-known goes something like this: in the 1800s an eclectic pharmacist named Eugene Scheifflein had a mission: to introduce every bird ever mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. This would mean somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 species would need to be let loose in America. The European Starling is only mentioned once in any of Shakespeare’s writings, but it still counts. To complete his life’s work, Schieffelin brought Starlings along with many other species of European birds to North America. On a snowy day in March, Scheifflein released starlings in Central Park New York. From there, they proliferated and eventually spread out far and wide across the continent.

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However, this may not be entirely accurate.

For the true story of the European Starling, we do have to first look at our story’s hero, or perhaps villain depending on how you look at it, Eugene Sheiflein who did play a major role in the introduction of European Starlings. However, some of the things most people believe about him may not be true at all. We do know that on March 6, 1890, Scheifflin released 30 pairs of European Starlings that he brought from England into Central Park New York. A year later he repeated the same actions with 20 pairs. Where the questionable parts of the story come in are the motives behind the release. There is little mention of Sheifflins driving force behind these introductions having anything to do with William Shakespear. He was the chairman of the American Acclimatization Society, an organization focused on bringing flora and fauna from the old world to the new. Not only did societies such as this one import starlings, but also several other European bird species including skylarks, song thrushes, and the infamous House Sparrow. The first mention of Scheiffelin being associated with Shakespeare in any way was from an essay by Edwin Way Teale published in 1948 that stated Scheifflins hobby was bringing “all of the birds mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare” to North America. This may not be a literal statement however, but rather a figure of speech as this is the only time in any work of writing that any connection between Shakespeare and schieffelin has been mentioned. Either way, this one essay propelled people for years to come to believe that the reason European Starlings are in North America is all because of a Shakespeare fan.

Another point to note is that Scheiffelin and the American Acclimatization Society were not the first to release starlings into the new world. Records indicate European Starlings were set loose in North America as early as 1872 in multiple locations in the United States. Some people believe starlings from these earlier introductions failed to gain a foothold in America, but records exist of wild European Starlings being caught in Massachusetts in 1876 as well as in New Jersey in 1884. This would suggest that starlings had already begun breeding in the new world before Scheffelin ever even made it onto the scene.

Nonetheless, once released into North America, European Starlings quickly proliferated and became a problem for both native wildlife and humans. So, what is it that European Starlings do to be considered a pest? First of all, they are cavity nesters, and significantly more aggressive than many native species that seek out the same lodging such as bluebirds. This often leads to starlings occupying cavities and evicting more peaceful residents. Additionally, starlings are extremely messy nesters, often completely trashing nest sites.

Other ways starlings make a negative impact have to do with economics. These birds travel and forage in extremely large flocks that happen to be fond of the fare they can find around farms. Starlings are known to destroy crops, eating food intended for cattle, and spreading a plethora of diseases to livestock. Shockingly, it’s estimated that European Starlings cause over a billion dollars in damage to the agricultural industry each year. Starlings also become a nuisance when they nest inside infrastructure such as bridges and buildings.

A scarier impact starlings have comes in the form of airplane collisions. Large flocks of starlings get sucked into the jet engines causing damage to the plane and risking the lives of the passengers and crew on board. It’s worth noting that there has been at least one recorded instance of starlings being the cause of a plane crash.

So, what’s being done to alleviate the problems people and native wildlife are having with this perceived invasive pest? Right now, the measures are mostly preventative. In places where starlings cause problems such as farms and airports, scaring devices, traps, and bird netting are all used to try and dissuade them from sticking around. On a smaller scale, removing nests from buildings, blocking openings in roofs and awnings, and shooing away flocks can deter starlings from being in the area.

While European Starling numbers have actually declined over the last 50 years, their populations in North America remain extremely healthy and it certainly looks like this species won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Is there anything positive about having starlings alive and well in North America? Not really, but they have managed to assimilate fairly well with flocks of native blackbird species, so at least they seem to be playing nice with at least a few other types of birds.

At the end of the day, European Starlings are here to stay, and their story is one that we can take lessons from. In their native range, starlings are beautiful and captivating to watch, but in North America they are an unwanted nuisance. It’s possible these sentiments aren’t only because of what the starling does as a species but also because in the years following their introduction, anti-immigrant rhetoric was at a high. These feelings may have been passed onto the Starling which some people saw as a representation of immigration continuing in America.

Either way, the starling’s emergence as a successful species in a land they aren’t originally from is not only a reflection of those that came to America from overseas, but also represent the lore and misinformation often accompanying the things that we know but may not fully understand. Sure, many people detest them, but that hasn’t stopped the European Starling from carving out a niche in North America. Thanks for reading, we’ll see you next time, on Badgerland Birding.

2021 Birding Blog, How did they get here?

The House Sparrow: How did they get here?

November 26, 2021 rmsallmanngmailcom 1 Comment

The House Sparrow is one of the most common birds in the United States. Its adaptability and hardiness make it abundant in places where other species don’t live. With a fierce attitude, this aggressive bird out-competes other species and is considered to be an ecological pest.

Much of the distain toward the House Sparrow stems from the fact that it was not originally native to North American, putting it at the top of the list of avian invasives. So where did the House Sparrow come from? And what do we do with it now that it’s here?

Before we look into the story of the House Sparrow let’s take a minute to understand it as a species. The House Sparrow is a stout bird with a round head and short bill. Males have a chestnut back, gray crown and underside, white cheeks and a black bib. Females are light brown with buff and brown striped backs and a buffy eye stripe. The House Sparrow’s native range is Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. They live in groups and can be found near humans as they take advantage of scraps left behind in cities. House Sparrows are extremely territorial cavity nesters that will attack other birds trying to nest in an area they inhabit.

Now for the House Sparrows westward expansion: let’s go back to the year 1850. Millard Fillmore had just become president after Zachary Taylor died in office, the entire western half of the US was territories, and the fugitive slave act was passed by congress. This is pre-civil war America and in the midst of a migrant boom with over 30 million European immigrants making their way across the Atlantic between 1836 and 1914.

At this time in American history, a fascination arose for trading wildlife from one continent to another. Many wealthy individuals and societies on the east coast began dabbling in this hobby. One such organization was the Brooklyn Institute in New York.

To know the story of the House Sparrow we have to know the institute’s director: Nicholas Pike. Pike cemented his spot in the story as the man responsible for the first House Sparrows brought to the United states when he had 8 pairs shipped over in 1850. The cited reason for the introduction? To control an infestation of insects (either canker worms or larva of the linden moth). A secondary reason was to bring a species to America that European immigrants would be used to and find pleasant. Yes, that’s right, pleasant. At this point in time, nobody knew of the negative consequences introducing a nonnative species could have on native wildlife. As a result, the importation of the initial birds was met with little resistance.

In 1851 the first 16 birds were released. Here is where the story gets a bit murky. Pike is quoted as stating that the first 16 birds “did not thrive” upon their release. Some argue that this means all 16 birds perished. Others suggest this may just mean that they disappeared, perhaps dispersing and starting their lives as the first colonists to one day spread their species all across the new world.

In 1852, Pike was appointed Consul General to Portugal and sailed to Liverpool where he made a large order of songbirds including 50 pairs of House Sparrows. The birds were shipped over on the steamship Europa. Pike however was on his way to Portugal and was not present when the sparrows made it to America. 50 of these birds were released in the Narrows in 1852 and then another 50 were released at the Green-wood Cemetery Chapel a year later in 1853. The problem is that Pike did not witness the release of these birds, and his account is the only one to go off of as it pertains to the initial three releases. As a result it’s impossible to say which batch of released birds was the first to gain a foothold in the United States. But let’s pause for a second, because something important happened in 1854 that changed the landscape of world bird life.

In 1854, half way around the world in Paris, the Société zoologique d’acclimatation was founded by French naturalist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. The goal of this group was to bring in flora and fauna that could be useful for pest control and food sources. In America, copycat societies were starting to pop up as well., including one in New York.

Now, lets get to know another important man in this story, Eugene Schieffelin. Schieffelin was a pharmacist and amateur ornithologist very interested in the importation of European bird species. He was a prominent member of the American Acclimatization Society and started by importing House Sparrows as pest control around his Madison Square home. Schieffelin was not only responsible for the release of many House Sparrows, but is almost single handedly responsible for the release of another invasive, the European starling. But that’s a story for another time, Anyway, Schieffelin certainly played a role in the propagation of the House Sparrow and along with other sister organizations such as the Cincinnati Acclimatization Society continued to release European Species into North America. Some other bird species released by these groups were Song Thrushes, Wagtails, and Skylarks, but the House Sparrow was one of the few that was able to succeed. Why?

For starters, the house sparrow is hardy and adaptable. They eat a wide variety of foods including grains, insects, and even fruits and berries. They are perfectly comfortable living alongside humans and take advantage of city structures to nest in. They are prolific breeders having multiple broods of usually over 3 chicks at a time. In addition, they nest earlier in the year than most migratory species, allowing them to establish nests before other species migrate back to compete for nest sites. To make life even easier for the House Sparrow, they lacked natural predators in North America, thus allowing them to multiply totally unchecked.

In the following years house sparrows continued to be introduced by various organizations. Portland, Maine in 1854, Nova Scotia in 1856, New Haven in 1857, and Peacedale, RI in 1858. By 1870 House Sparrows could be found as far west as Texas and as far south as the Carolinas. In 1871 House Sparrows were introduced to San Francisco and Hawaii, they were in Salt Lake City in 1872, and established as a breeding bird in California by 1910.

In the late 1800’s people were beginning to notice the potential negative impact of the House Sparrows. In 1887 and 1895 Illinois and Michigan spent a total of 117,500 dollars on efforts to eradicate the species; the modern equivalent of about 2.2 million dollars. In 1898 the department of agriculture wrote an article labeling the House Sparrow “one of the worst avian pests”

So why are house sparrows bad for North America? The biggest reasons have to do with competition with native species. The House sparrow is particularly aggressive when it comes to nesting sites. They have been known to kill other cavity nesting birds including adults, juveniles, and eggs. Many bird lovers have nothing but disdain for the house sparrow, especially those who have ever had bird houses invaded by them.

So what are people doing about this invasive species? Right now, not much. The House sparrow is so well established that it would take a massive initiative to even make a dent in their population. In addition, it’s estimated that anything capable of wiping out house sparrows would also have immense negative effects on native species. For now, any efforts on removing house sparrows is focused on removing them from locations inhabited by sensitive species and are occurring on a small scale. With a population of 540 million worldwide it would seem the house sparrow is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Are there any positives about House Sparrows living in the US? Well, they might eat some insects that are harmful to crops such as alfalfa, maybe.

The House Sparrow’s story is one of intrigue. This is the story of a hardy and aggressive bird coming to colonize a foreign land and stretching its reach east to west across the continent. It is a story of a misguided introduction effort in an attempt to bring some of the old world to the new. And it is a story of an unwanted human companion that has been with Americans even before the civil war started. Sure, many detest them, but that hasn’t deterred the house sparrow from making itself at home in the land of the free.