Despised by avid birders and by those who live near their crowded roosts, European starlings have become one of the most successful species in North America, inhabiting almost all of our natural ecosystems. In doing so, they have often displaced native birds by usurping nest cavities or by consuming much of the wild food crop.
Nevertheless, these prolific birds offer some benefits, primarily related to their taste for grubs and other harmful insects. In addition, for those who travel across America's farmlands, they provide entertainment in the form of spectacular aerial displays; these starling ballets are observed during the colder months, when the maligned immigrants gather in huge flocks.
Often first mistaken for a puff of black smoke, the shape of the flock changes constantly as the birds spiral and dip above the countryside, instinctively moving in a coordinated mass. At certain angles, they may disappear from view, suddenly reappearing like a flash card image at a football stadium. To my knowledge, there are no starling choreographers out there but, at times, one wonders.
