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The books are listed in order of publication date with the most recent at the top.

Starlings

UK starlings

European (Common) Starling
Sturnus vulgaris

Occasional UK visitor:

Rosy Starling
Sturnus roseus

Other starlings worldwide

The family Sturnidae comprises about 118 species worldwide. These are starlings, glossy starlings, mynas, and Philippine creepers.

Assessing the Effects of Scaring Starlings Roosting on Blackpool Piers

J.R. Blackburn, S.J. Holloway & M.M. Rehfisch

British Trust for Ornithology

2002

"Evidence has shown that birds maybe a possible source for contaminants found off the Blackpool coastline as they are known to act as carriers of Salmonella and Streptococci. Research work was carried out in 2001 (Holloway et al. 2002) to investigate the possible origin of such contaminants and has been continued in 2002. It was suspected that Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) might be a possible source of the contamination. Anecdotal information suggested that "tens of thousands" of Starlings roosted on the piers at Blackpool in the late summer and early autumn, thereby generating considerable amounts of faecal material. Observations and data collected in 2001 confirmed that large numbers of Starlings roosted on the piers. Large, regular Starling roosts are known to damage plantation trees by either breaking small branches by the sheer weight of the roosting birds and/or smothering all the surfaces with a thick coating of uric acid, which can also kill the tree (Feare 1984). Large roosts on building scan cause pitting of lime containing stonework, as the calcium carbonate content is dissolved by the acidic nature of the faeces. In order to assess the significance of the roosting Starlings as a potential source of contaminants, a scaring procedure was instigated by Environment Agency to shift the Starlings from the piers. Data were collected on numbers of birds and the water quality before, during and after the scaring in order to assess the success of the operation

Investigation into the causes of the decline of Starlings and House Sparrows in Great Britain

Humphrey Q. P. Crick, Robert A. Robinson, Graham F. Appleton, Nigel A. Clark & Angela D. Rickard

British Trust for Ornithology

2002

"The key aims were to: 1. Investigate the trends in breeding populations of Starlings and House Sparrows in Great Britain. 2. Examine the trends regionally and according to habitat, particularly in relation to urban, suburban and rural habitats. 3. Investigate variations in breeding success and recruitment, as well as winter and summer survival. 4. Investigate human influences, in particular an assessment of the scale and impact of control activity. 5. Identify likely causes of the declines in Starling and House Sparrow populations and place these within a whole population context

Starlings and Mynas

Chris Feare and Adrian Craig

Princeton University Press

1999

"The starling family contains some of the most common and some of the rarest birds in the world - ranging from the ubiquitous Common Starling to species restricted to single islands in the South Pacific. Starlings and Mynas is the first comprehensive, one-volume guide to all 114 members of the family. The main text of the book presents descriptions and illustrations of every species and many distinctive subspecies. It offers extensive information about identification, ecology, and behavior, complemented by thirty-two color plates and distribution maps. The authors also reexamine the classification of starlings in the light of up-to-date knowledge of the birds' ecology and behavior. In the introduction, the authors outline their general approach to the family and provide an overview of the birds' distribution, breeding, behavior, ecology, habitat, and moult. They also review the birds' fascinating interactions with humans, explaining how starlings and mynas have been scorned as pests, used for food, valued as pets and as mimics, and even had religious significance in different parts of the world. With its combination of precise, scientific observations and colorful contextual information, this book will become the definitive guide to this diverse family of birds."

Starlings and Mynas

Chris Feare and Adrian Craig

Christopher Helm

1998

A guide to the 114 members of the species. Introductory chapters give accounts of distribution, behavior, ecology, breeding, and interactions with man. Individual species accounts include aspects of identification, variations and distribution. There are 32 colour plates showing all species and a variety of races. Colour distribution maps are provided for each species.

Parent-Offspring Conflict and its Resolution in the European Starling

Elizabeth Litovich and Harry W. Power

American Ornithologists' Union

1992

A 71 page study.

The Starling

Chris Feare

1984

An in-depth study of the European Starling. The book focus on the development of the Starling from a localized, arboreal, fruit eater to a widespread, omnivorous, ground dweller. The study examines the effect of factors such as habitat choice, annual cycles, behaviour, breeding, feeding, flocking and roosting on the success of this development.

The Starling

C.J. Feare

1985

This concise study of the Starling provides information including distribution, feeding, breeding, and social life.

Bird Study, Volume 8, Issue 4

Main articles:

• Some Survival Estimates for the Woodpigeon - R. K. Murton
• A Study of the British Ringing Records of the Common Tern and Arctic Tern and Comparison with some Foreign Records - Mrs. M. C. Radford
• The Counting of Starlings at Country Roosts - A. E. J. Symonds
• The Inland Breeding of the Oystercatcher in Great Britain, 1958–59 - E. J. M. Buxton

Starling

O.V. Aplin

Educational Series No. 3

Society for the Protection of Birds

1890's

A 5 page guide that provides a brief description and information on distribution, numbers, food, characteristics, protection, plus three page of general remarks.

Catalogue Of The Passeriformes or Perching Birds In The Collection Of The British Museum

Catalogue Of The Birds In The British Museum, Volume XIII

R. Bowdler Sharp

Printed By Order Of The Trustees

Sold by: Longman & Co.; B. Quaritch; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.; and at the British Museum (Natural History)

1890

From the introduction:

"With the present volume the description of the Acromyodian Passeres is completed. It will be seen that, owing to the large accessions to the collection, the series examined exceeds that of any of the preceding volumes. Out of the 601 species and subspecies here recognized, only 58 are unrepresented in the collection, or about 10 per cent. Of these at least 25 are of very doubtful value, so that the collection actually contains nearly 95 per cent, of the known species. The British Museum possesses the types of 152 species, besides those of 61 no longer considered to be of that rank. The number of specimens reaches the total of 11,699. By the acquisition of part of the Shelley Collection of African birds by the Trustees of the Museum, my labours on the Ploceidae have been much facilitated, as I have had before me the whole of Capt. Shelley's series of specimens, on which was based his monographic essay on the African Weaver-Birds. Mr. Seebohm has likewise presented his entire collection of Palaearctic Alaudidae, and the Sturnidae and Ploceidae of the Swinhoe collection, comprising many types of species."