Listen to the common starling
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the common starling
The common starling is a bird in the family Sturnidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 38 cm.
What does the common starling sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as song, begging call, call and wing flaps. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, and as the European starling in North America, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about 20 cm (8 in) long and has glossy black plumage with a metallic sheen, which is speckled with white at some times of the year. The legs are pink and the bill is black in winter and yellow in summer; young birds have browner plumage than the adults. Its gift for mimicry has been noted in literature including the Mabinogion and the works of Pliny the Elder and William Shakespeare.
Related birds in the genus Sturnus
More from the family Sturnidae
Common myna
Acridotheres tristis
Violet-backed starling
Cinnyricinclus leucogaster
Brahminy starling
Sturnia pagodarum
Indian pied myna
Gracupica contra
Superb starling
Lamprotornis superbus
White-shouldered starling
Sturnia sinensis
Cape starling
Lamprotornis nitens
Red-winged starling
Onychognathus morio
Frequently asked questions
What does a common starling sound like?
You can hear 6 recordings of the common starling on this page, including its song, begging call and call. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the common starling endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the common starling as “least concern”.
What family does the common starling belong to?
The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) belongs to the family Sturnidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Sturnus vulgaris juveniles sound recording by Kfrommolt – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) (W1CDR0001431 BD8) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Fontaine-le-Comte, Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France by Benoît Van Hecke – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Begging call, call · Roseraie, Jardin des plantes, Paris, Île-de-France, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Begging call · Paslières, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song, wing flaps · Paslières, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q25469 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Common starling – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by marsupium photography – CC BY-SA 2.0