What does the European Starling song sound like?

Sturnus vulgaris

Song Common

Play the real European Starling song, the "whistles and chatters", and learn what to listen for.

“whistles and chatters”

What the European Starling song sounds like

A highly varied mix of musical whistles, clicks, rattles, and harsh chatters. The European Starling's song is a continuous stream of sounds that can include high clear notes, buzzy trills, and imitations of other noises. Males often sing in spring from high perches (like tree tops or rooftops), sometimes fluttering their wings. The song can sound discordant and rambling to the human ear, with sequences of warbling interspersed with mechanical-sounding tones.

“whistles and chatters”

How to find the bird singing it

Open areas with scattered trees, urban and suburban environments, farmlands

Glossy Plumage: Medium-sized, short-tailed songbird with glossy black plumage. Depending on the light, adults show iridescent purples and greens, especially on the head and chest.
Seasonal Spotting: In fresh non-breeding plumage (fall and winter), they are heavily speckled with white or buffy spots over their head and body. By spring, these pale tips wear off, and the bird appears more shiny and dark.
Bill Changes Color: Bill is long and pointed. It is dark gray-black in winter and turns bright yellow during the breeding season (spring/summer). Legs are pinkish-red.

When you'll hear it

Winter

Many starlings are permanent residents, but those breeding in the far north will move south. In winter, starlings form huge roosts in urban areas, often in buildings or dense tree groves. They feed in flocks in fields or city streets, eating grain, fruit, and food scraps. Their plumage is at its most speckled in winter, and their bills are dark.

Spring

As days lengthen, starlings transition into breeding mode. By early spring, their bills turn yellow and plumage becomes more glossy as speckles wear off. Males sing frequently and perform courtship displays at nest cavities (they may carry bright objects or flowers to the nest). They nest in cavities in trees or any crevice they find in buildings, often displacing other species. Some minor movements northward can occur as birds leave winter roosts to settle on breeding territories.

Summer

Breeding season is in full swing. Starlings typically raise 1-2 broods in a season. They feed mostly on insects in summer, often probing lawns for grubs and worms. Fledglings leave the nest and can be seen following parents begging for food by midsummer. Adult starlings molt starting in late summer; new feathers growing in will have the pale tips that create a speckled look.

Fall

After breeding, starlings form large flocks again. In early fall, they finish molting into fresh plumage (with heavy speckling). They feast on abundant fall foods like berries and agricultural grains. Giant roosts form in late fall. Some starlings from the north move further south, joining local populations and boosting flock sizes. The evening murmurations become a common sight as fall progresses.

Don’t confuse it with

Birds whose song gets mistaken for this one. Play them back to back.

Common Grackle

Grackles are larger (about 12 inches) with a longer keel-shaped tail and a more slender body. A male Common Grackle has a glossy purple-blue head and bronzy body (in the east) and a very distinctly bright yellow eye. Grackles lack the starling's seasonal spots and have a uniform dark plumage (no speckles). In flight, grackles have a slower wingbeat and the long tail often appears as a trailing V-shape. Also, grackles typically do not mimic sounds; their calls are harsh "readle-eak" or "squawk" sounds, different from starlings' mix of whistles.

European Starling song FAQ

What does an European Starling song sound like?

How do I tell an European Starling from a Common Grackle by ear?

Common Grackle: Grackles are larger (about 12 inches) with a longer keel-shaped tail and a more slender body. A male Common Grackle has a glossy purple-blue head and bronzy body (in the east) and a very distinctly bright yellow eye. Grackles lack the starling's seasonal spots and have a uniform dark plumage (no speckles). In flight, grackles have a slower wingbeat and the long tail often appears as a trailing V-shape. Also, grackles typically do not mimic sounds; their calls are harsh "readle-eak" or "squawk" sounds, different from starlings' mix of whistles.; Juvenile starlings (brown) might be confused with female or young grackles, but grackles always have a longer tail and a bigger size. Additionally, grackles often travel in looser flocks mixed with other blackbirds, whereas starlings tend to move in very tight, synchronized flocks especially when in large numbers..

When is the best time to hear the European Starling song?

Most active during daylight hours, forming large flocks especially in fall and winter

More European Starling sounds

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