You may be thinking, “Why would I need this?” or “European Starlings are annoying.” If that’s what you’re thinking, then let me tell you why these birds are great.
Despite their reputation as pests because they compete with native birds for food, these birds bring a lot of benefits to our yards. In fact, some birdwatchers believe that European Starlings make watching birds more interesting!
These birds are not only fun to watch, but they also bring diversity to your yard or garden by filling it with their beautiful iridescent colors and sounds. In this article, I will share with you the best tips for attracting European Starlings.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- European Starlings are adaptable birds known for their iridescent plumage and unique vocalizations.
- Attracting European Starlings to your yard involves providing suitable nesting cavities, offering varied foods, and maintaining a bird-friendly environment.
- Suet, sunflower seeds, and mealworms are some preferred food options.
- Nest boxes with specific entrance hole sizes are attractive to these cavity-nesting birds.
- Ensure fresh water sources and open areas for foraging to create an inviting habitat.
Food
If you are looking for a way to attract European Starlings to your yard, use a hopper style, or platform feeder. I personally use this hopper style feeder because it gives the bird a large area to rest or perch.
It also holds up to 5lbs of seeds, and 2 suet cakes. If you are interested in this product, you can check out on Amazon.
Ideally, the feeder should be filled with dried mealworms, cracked corn, peanut kernels, sunflower kernels, or suet balls, and hung from a tree branch in an area where it will not be disturbed by other animals or humans who might knock it down.
Another way to attract them is with fresh fruit such as oranges, apples, grapes and other favorite fruits. You can also use canned fruit that has been mixed with corn syrup and water.
Water
Starlings are a type of bird that enjoys water, and need to bathe themselves to cool off during the hot summer months. To attract starlings, one should provide them with a birdbath for this purpose. A birdbath like this one can be purchased for a good price on Amazon.
A simple trick to attracting starlings is by providing them with a clean supply of water near their food sources. Starlings are very social birds, so you will want to ensure that your birdbath has plenty of room for multiple birds at once, as well as being placed in an area that is safe from predators.
Shelter
If you’re a fan of starlings, or simply want to help them thrive in your neighborhood, it’s important to understand how to attract these cavity nesters. Starlings are attracted to trees such as crab apples, holly, ivy, hawthorn, and rowan because they offer shelter from predators, and can also provide good nesting sites.
However, if there is no tree for the birds to roost on in your yard, provide them with a nest box instead.
Nesting
Nest boxes provide an ideal place for them to nest as it provides protection from predators such as raccoons, cats, dogs, snakes and hawks. You can purchase a nest box on Amazon. Check today’s price.
These types of birds do not have many natural predators in the US so if you put up a nest box for them then they will usually come back every year!
More Tips
If you’re looking for the easiest way to attract European Starlings, there are a few simple tips that will help.
- Start by providing an abundance of food and water sources. This includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and grains.
- Make sure to provide plenty of places for these birds to nest and roost in order to feel at home. Try adding hollowed-out logs.
- European starlings love seeds and suet, as well as bird seed mixtures.
- Some people like to build a birdbath or put out a feeder in order to attract them. If they have an accessible water source nearby, then the European Starling will continue to use your property for years after their arrival.
- Others hang baskets of fruit on trees for the starlings to eat from, and some prefer hanging suet cakes.
- Leave out watermelon or grapes as bait for them to eat.
- Using bright colors like red will attract these birds.
- Keep garbage cans closed up tightly, so they don’t go around looking for food in other places.
If They Become a Problem
The first step to get rid of starlings is to find out what they are attracted to. They will feed on seed mixes, bird feeders, and bugs that might be in your yard.
You can also make sure you have some natural predators like blue jays and hawks around by planting trees or shrubs that provide cover for them.
If this doesn’t work, you can always use a more aggressive approach such as scarecrows or frightening devices that sound an alarm such as the ultrasonic pest repeller when the birds land.
Conclusion
Attracting European Starlings to your yard can be a rewarding experience for bird enthusiasts. By providing suitable nest boxes, a variety of foods, fresh water, and open spaces, you can create an inviting habitat that encourages these adaptable and charming birds to visit and perhaps even make your yard their home. Enjoy observing their iridescent plumage and melodious calls as they become regular guests in your outdoor space.
