The strip of land beside the reservoir additionally serves as an example of the grass lawn as the default of landscaping choices. In other words, since nothing in particular is happening on this land, it should be mowed. The European Starling was probably limited to tidal wetlands in forested parts of Northern Europe before that continent became filled with farmers and shepherds. An irrigated mown lawn is in some ways a replica of a tidal wetland since both have grass that is not allowed to grow high and become dormant. This action is facilitated by highly developed protractor muscles.
Most common prey are larvae of insects, particularly beetles.
The House Sparrow, another European bird, often accompanies the Starling flock and either mugs the larger Starling for its dinner or seeks seeds and insects the Starling has dislodged and ignored. The Crow makes its living during the off-breeding season in essentially the same manner as the Starling. Canada Geese are grazers, like a cow, and simply eat the grass. Several more birds, all native, can make use of mown lawns. The Robin hunts worms very well in lawn, the Flicker, a large woodpecker, can dig deeper than the Starling for insect larvae in lawns, and the Barn Swallow likes to cruise over an extensive lawn at about the 1 foot level hunting for low-flying insects.