Gambrills, Maryland

Regis & Linda Burek

Regis & Linda Burek

We’re passionate about birds and nature. That’s why we opened a Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop in our community.

Gambrills, Maryland

The Village at Waugh Chapel,
1304 Main Chapel Way
Gambrills, MD 21054

Phone: (410) 451-6876
Email: Send Message

Store Hours:
Mon - Thurs: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Fri: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sat: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sun: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

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Fun Facst About Starlings

  • StarlingThe European Starling was introduced into North America when the "American Acclimatization Society" for European settlers released some 80-100 birds in Central Park (New York City) in 1890-91. The head of this particular organization, Eugene Scheiffelin, desired to introduce all birds ever mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare.
  • Since its introduction into North America in 1891, European Starling populations have grown to over 200 million birds and they can now be found coast to coast and in Alaska.
  • The European Starling, introduced to North America in 1891, has had a significant impact on our native birds. In particular, its intense competition for nesting cavities has had a negative impact on many cavity-nesting species such as Bluebirds, woodpeckers and Purple Martins.
  • Rather than clamping their bill shut, starlings’ jaw muscles work to force it open giving them a great advantage when digging for grubs, worms, and bugs in the yard.
  • To glean insects and invertebrates, you can watch starlings poking their beaks into the ground, opening wide to spread the soil and then picking out exposed larvae and earthworms.
  • Starlings, as members of the Sturnidae family, are cousins to the Mynah bird and are outstanding mimics. Individuals have been known to mimic the calls of up to 20 different bird species.
  • Starlings have an impressive array of songs and may have a repertoire of over 60 different types.
  • Starlings were at one time considered a game bird in Europe and were hunted for food.
  • Starlings often return to the same nest cavity to raise their young each year.
  • Bird banding records show the longest known life-span for a Starling in North America to be over 15 years old.
  • European Starlings have a highly adaptable diet and eat a wide variety of foods, such as snails, worms, millipedes, and spiders, in addition to fruits, berries, grains, and seeds.
  • Starlings can play an important role in reducing the numbers of some of the major insect pests that damage farm crops.
  • Starlings in the Midwestern United States migrate south in the winter, but starlings in the East tend to be year-round residents. Young birds migrate farther than older birds.
  • Migrating flocks of Starlings can reach enormous numbers; flocks of 100,000 birds are not uncommon.
  • The European Starling is one of only three birds not protected by the United States government. The House Sparrow and the pigeon are the other two.