The story is that starlings were brought over from Europe in the early 1890's as part of a plan to bring to Central Park NYC all the birds Shakespeare mentions. They have since proliferated.
They are one of maybe 7 bird species I can recall from growing up in Queens Co. (maybe 10 miles from Union Square): pigeons, sparrows (primarily house sparrows), starlings, gulls, crows, robins and blue jays.
Nancy Asquith wrote:
The story is that starlings were brought over from Europe in the early 1890's as part of a plan to bring to Central Park NYC all the birds Shakespeare mentions. They have since proliferated.
They are one of maybe 7 bird species I can recall from growing up in Queens Co. (maybe 10 miles from Union Square): pigeons, sparrows (primarily house sparrows), starlings, gulls, crows, robins and blue jays.
Proliferated? No kidding. I was down near Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn and there are tons of these guys.
Great photo of a dirty pest of a bird. Theres a reason people get paid to kill the evil little things... they're a scourge upon agriculture and indigenous bird populations.
