European Starling Population Analysis
European Starling has fallen sharply: down 59% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the European Starling
Introduced to North America in the 1890s, the European Starling is now one of the continent's most abundant birds — a glossy, gregarious songbird of farms, towns and cities.
- Size
- 8–9 in long, about 2.8 oz (20–23 cm, 80 g)
- Habitat
- A broad range of open and wooded habitats, often near people.
- Diet
- Insects and invertebrates in summer, switching to fruit, grain and refuse the rest of the year.
- Range
- Recorded on 3,854 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 49 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Sturnidae · Generalists
- Conservation
- Least Concern (introduced)
Notable European Starling TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →
European Starling has fallen sharply in surveyed states: down 59% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
European Starling Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, European Starling is projected to fall about 29% by 2030 — from 27 in 2025 to a central estimate of 19 (95% range 10.0–29). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±22.3%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
Where the European Starling Is Detected
BBS routes recording European Starling, sized by most recent count.
European Starling Population Trend by State
European Starling Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
European Starling Conservation Status
Least Concern (introduced)
A species introduced to North America; the IUCN Red List rates it as Least Concern in its native range. Our route-weighted index shows it down about 59% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-08-14. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.