Today’s review is about STARLINGS by Mike Stark. This is a nonfiction account of why so many in the U.S., especially historically, hate the starling bird. Stark relays their introduction and the various ways society at large tried to get rid of starlings.
Author: Mike Stark
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Bison Books
Publish Date: March 1, 2025
Print Length: 272
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Starlings Synopsis
Synopsis
Has there ever been a more hated bird than the European starling? Let loose in New York City’s Central Park by a misguided aristocrat, the starlings were supposed to help curb insect outbreaks and add to the tuneful choir of other songbirds. Rather than staying put, the dark and speckled starlings marched across the continent like a conquering army. In less than sixty years, they were in every state in the contiguous United States and their numbers topped two hundred million. Cities came under siege; crops buckled beneath their weight. Public sentiment quickly soured.
A bitter, baffling, and sometimes comical war on starlings ensued. Weapons included dynamite, guns, bounties, fake owls, real owls, rubber snakes, balloons, itching powder, and greased building ledges. Still, artists and scientists marveled at their undulating aerial formations, which seemed equal parts poetry and mathematics. Keen listeners recognized the starling as one of the world’s great vocal mimics, imitating everything from fellow birds and cell phones to barking dogs, car alarms, and TV commercials. And then there were their undeniable skills of adaptation and survival. What if there was more to these stubborn villains than once thought?
Mike Stark’s Starlings is a first-of-its-kind history of starlings in America, an oddball, love-hate story at the intersection of human folly, ornithology, and one bird’s tenacious will to endure.
Starlings Review
I received a free, digital, advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book.
STARLINGS by Mike Stark is a well-researched compilation of historical wonder and hatred of the bird. In this nonfiction account Stark describes how the starling found itself across the pond and on U.S. soil. Native to Europe, it seems in the late 19th century the rich had a compulsion to ship non-native birds to the U.S. largely because they missed seeing and hearing certain birds. Another reason people brought non-native birds into the U.S. was for insect control.
However, the starlings adapted incredibly well to their new environment(s). Within a few decades of their introduction starlings, once loved for their song, became maligned. So plentiful were they that wherever they roosted they’d leave behind literal tons of waste. This especially was a problem in cities where their droppings covered buildings, sometimes to the extent workers carried umbrellas. Residents also hated the noise of the starlings who apparently warble and chatter during the night. Farmers complained the birds ate their crops and mutilated their cattle when going after bugs associated with those animals. Cities launched plenty of campaigns to try to get rid of the starlings. Stark describes those methods, though not in gruesome detail, thankfully. But it is relevant to mention since these attempts showcase how futile they were in the long term.
Of course, there exists the argument of constant eradication vs. letting the birds be since they didn’t bring themselves over to the U.S. I appreciated the mention of studies that actually investigated what the birds ate, which is mostly insects and countered the common misconception of a primary diet of crops. It was also interesting to read that what is now Purina (maker of pet food), I believe, had a role in developing a chemical method of exterminating starlings. Moreover, I had no idea the U.S. federal government also spent a considerable amount of time on the “issue” of starlings, some in collaboration with developing those chemical extermination methods.
STARLINGS by Mike Stark incorporates a lot of quotes from historical documents. These include various opinions about the birds, descriptions from observers, release dates into the wild, and accounts of methods taken to control the starling population. However, while well researched, I found this book rather repetitive. I think all of these historical accounts are a boon for someone who cares a lot about birds, or starlings more specifically. But as a casual reader I got bored about half way through and started skimming. The point comes across very well how much people hated starlings even just a couple generations ago. The book has different chapters seemingly focused on different topics. But they always came back to what sort of ways people tried to force out the starlings.
In summary, pick up STARLINGS by Mike Stark as an avid birder, particularly if one has a penchant for history as well. Casual birders may find this book repetitive, though it is a nice repository for lots of historical information.
Rating: 3.5
Content warnings: animal death
Reading format: Kindle e-book
If you liked this book, you may also enjoy UNDER THE HENFLUENCE by Tove Danovich.
A pity that this was a bit repetitive and not as enjoyable as you might have expected. I had no idea that they were seen as such pests in the US. Here in the UK, they are in serious decline and have vanished from many areas which is a shame as I used to love watching them in the evenings.
I knew they were seen as pests here, but I definitely wasn’t aware of the magnitude of the “problem.” I see them every now in then, but it’s never more than maybe 50 at a time. The book also listed Washington DC as a place that has starling issues; I can’t say I’ve noticed that ever when I’ve gone into the city. I wonder if it’s still an issue in areas with farming. I feel kinda bad for the birds…they’re just trying to survive! So I’m sorry to hear from you that they don’t seem to be thriving where you are.
Apparently their numbers have reduced by 80% here over the past 20 years. Maybe they’ve all emigrated to the US😀
That’s so sad! Hmm…I don’t know why they’d want to come here…especially right now, eek.