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starling

starling

20 3.9
A small to medium bird with dark shiny feathers that lives in groups and copies sounds of other birds
  • noun
  • /ˈstɑr.lɪŋ/
translation icon : estornino
  • Like everything else in the secret lives of starlings, the answer is not simple.
  • the superb starling
  • the European starling
  • the starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

And when you see the flock of birds, the starlings or the school of fish, there's no leader.

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Examples

  • The secret and complicated lives of starlings still have a lot to teach us about adapting to uncertainty.

    Academic text (2009)
  • A noisy flock of starlings is flying from one cherry tree to another.

    Academic text (2007)
  • It's a group of starlings that is going to together make it from one point to another.

  • Did I ever tell you about the starlings when I was a little kid?

  • NatureMappers may begin with reports of such common species as crows, starlings, and house sparrows.

    Academic text (2001)
  • And we went out and sat on a park bench in Central Park... and I looked across the park, and in the distance I saw... leaves blowing in the wind, a bunch of children running... a red ball rolling, a flock of starlings taking off.

  • In the darkest hour of winter, when all the starlings had flown away, Gretel Samuelson fell in love.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The air is swirling with snowflakes, and the trees, crowded with sheltering starlings, catch all they can.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Nearer, over a copse of shiny green oaks, a flock of chattering starlings lifted and milled.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • In the park, a flock of starlings gathered to feed on the ground.

Synonyms

Sturnus vulgaris
vsstarling
  • Specialized
8.2

A common bird with dark shiny feathers that nests near people

is the everyday common name used instead of the scientific label
common starling
vsstarling
3.2

A small bird that lives in groups with dark shiny feathers and often nests near buildings

is native to the Old World rather than being worldwide in distribution

Compounds

A small bird that lives in groups with dark shiny feathers and often nests near buildings

A glossy black bird with a pink back and belly found mainly in Asia

How Mimicking

lyrebird
  • Australian
1 8.6
myna
1 7.7
starling
20 3.9
pigeon
247 1.0
thrush
4 3.6

Surface Forms

starling singular
starlings plural

Etymology

Starling comes from an old English name stær for the bird, and a helpful way to remember it is to think of its shiny, 'star'-like spots and the way big flocks make starry patterns in the sky. That's why starling names this small, social songbird known for glossy feathers and loud, mimicking calls.