They weigh about 2 to 3 oz. Complaints have risen steadily over time, but the amount of starling damage to fields of sweet corn has not been documented. Aesthetic benefits of European Starlings are also debatable. Large flocks can damage crops, and their waste can spread invasive seeds and transmit disease. How did starling populations become so large? As with other pest birds, the starling's droppings can erode structures, and when roosting in flocks, significant damage can result. (60 to 96 g). Starlings may spread infectious diseases that sicken humans and livestock, costing nearly $800 million in health treatment costs. In new grain fields starlings pull up the young plants and eat the seeds. Livestock Starlings gather at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) during late fall and winter. Starlings have been implicated in airplane crashes, caused by a strike with the aircraft. This non-native, invasive species has spread across rural and urban North America. Being an introduced species, European starlings are exempt from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In 2008 the U.S. government poisoned, shot, or trapped 1.7 million starlings, the most of any nuisance species. They push out native cavity nesters like bluebirds, owls, and woodpeckers.

The damage caused by European starlings on the agricultural industry was estimated to be approximately $800 million per year at $5 per hectare (Pimentel et al. In the United States however, the damage starlings do to crops is normally thought to outweigh any potential use they might have as controllers of insect populations. European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are one of the worst (and most hated) nuisance birds in the U.S.  They’re loud and annoying, and they’re everywhere. Starlings are particularly terrible in their attacks on crops such as grapes, olives, cherries and grains. They also cause hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to agricultural operations yearly. Droppings can contaminate soil and lead to the transmission of diseases such as histoplasmosis.  European Starling Can Carry disease that are transmitted to livestock and to people including (transmissible, gastroenteritis, a disease of swine), salmonella and blastomycosis.

2007). (2000) estimated that starling damage to agriculture crops in the United States was $800 million yearly, based on $5/ha damage. Starling dropping provide a growth for Histologists, the fungus that causes in humans. (31 to 40 cm). (20 to 23 cm) long and have a wingspan of 12 to 16 in. Also, European starlings pose a direct danger to humans when large flocks impede or damage aircraft. The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), also known as the European starling in the United States or simply the starling in the British Isles, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae.It is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of year. 2000). The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), also known as the European starling in the United States or simply the starling in the British Isles, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae.It is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of year. Flocks can number in the thousands, and when a flock of this size settles on a field the damage they can do is considerable. Photo: Jonathan Feis/Great Backyard Bird Count. None has been more destructive to native wildlife as the European Starling. Starlings eat cattle rations and destroy fruit and grain crops. Midwestern states have complained about starling damage during the ripening period (Figure 4).

European starlings are squat, stocky birds with tails that are short and squared at the end. Adult European starlings are 8 to 9 in. Some starlings may also carry various diseases which may be transmissible to humans, other birds (including poultry), and livestock (Linz et al. Damage and Disease. European Starling. Pimentel et al. Starlings there caused $9 million in damages to agricultural operations over five years.