The Birdhouse Network Physical Description Male and female starlings look similar. Both are glossy black with purplish and greenish iridescence on the head, back, and breast. Males have yellow bills in spring.
Juveniles have grayish brown plumage, and their bills are brownish in color.
The European Starling was introduced to North America in the late 1800s, when 100 birds were released in New York City. Today, only a century later, their North American population is believed to exceed 200 million. Starlings are widely distributed all across the United States and Canada, and they appear to be slowly expanding the northern and southern boundaries of their range. Like House Sparrows, European Starlings are habitat generalists, and their distribution is closely associated with human habitation. They nest in areas ranging from rural and agricultural to suburban and urban areas, but they avoid heavily wooded, mountainous, and arid regions.