European Starling
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 3,847 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 49 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Sturnidae · Generalists
- Conservation
- Least Concern (introduced)
Notable European Starling Trends
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 35% by 2029 — from 30 in 2024 to a central estimate of 20 (95% range 10–29). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±18.3%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22 | 13 | 32 |
| 2026 | 22 | 12 | 31 |
| 2027 | 21 | 12 | 30 |
| 2028 | 20 | 11 | 30 |
| 2029 | 20 | 10 | 29 |
Where the European Starling Is Detected
BBS routes recording European Starling, sized by most recent count.
European Starling Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -48% | 1968 | 106 |
| Alaska | -88% | 1983 | 10 |
| Arizona | -42% | 1970 | 65 |
| Arkansas | +21% | 1969 | 53 |
| California | +34% | 1970 | 236 |
| Colorado | +20% | 1970 | 137 |
| Connecticut | -63% | 1968 | 20 |
| Delaware | +20% | 1968 | 17 |
| Florida | -22% | 1968 | 111 |
| Georgia | -49% | 1968 | 105 |
| Idaho | -58% | 1970 | 56 |
| Illinois | -43% | 1968 | 105 |
| Indiana | -7% | 1968 | 68 |
| Iowa | -15% | 1969 | 39 |
| Kansas | +4% | 1969 | 67 |
| Kentucky | -20% | 1968 | 63 |
| Louisiana | -19% | 1969 | 98 |
| Maine | -87% | 1968 | 68 |
| Maryland | -43% | 1968 | 76 |
| Massachusetts | -76% | 1968 | 32 |
| Michigan | -56% | 1968 | 100 |
| Minnesota | -70% | 1969 | 89 |
| Mississippi | -64% | 1968 | 64 |
| Missouri | -21% | 1969 | 95 |
| Montana | +142% | 1970 | 104 |
| Nebraska | +73% | 1969 | 75 |
| Nevada | +291% | 1970 | 43 |
| New Hampshire | -82% | 1968 | 26 |
| New Jersey | -59% | 1968 | 43 |
| New Mexico | -74% | 1970 | 57 |
| New York | -59% | 1968 | 128 |
| North Carolina | -52% | 1968 | 104 |
| North Dakota | +20% | 1969 | 50 |
| Ohio | -40% | 1968 | 89 |
| Oklahoma | +19% | 1969 | 68 |
| Oregon | +1% | 1970 | 113 |
| Pennsylvania | -38% | 1968 | 133 |
| Rhode Island | -64% | 1968 | 7 |
| South Carolina | -94% | 1968 | 47 |
| South Dakota | +39% | 1969 | 59 |
| Tennessee | +9% | 1968 | 50 |
| Texas | +68% | 1969 | 214 |
| Utah | +23% | 1970 | 76 |
| Vermont | -79% | 1968 | 26 |
| Virginia | -77% | 1968 | 79 |
| Washington | +52% | 1970 | 102 |
| West Virginia | -64% | 1968 | 62 |
| Wisconsin | -43% | 1968 | 96 |
| Wyoming | +544% | 1970 | 116 |
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 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.