The European or Common Starling is a medium-sized songbird with a short tail, long pointed bill and triangular wings. In the summer, it is purplish-green iridescent with a yellow bill. In the winter itt turns brown with bright white spots and a black bill. In flight it looks like a small, four-pointed star, hence its name.
In 1890, 60 European Starlings were released in New York City's Central Park. This was a part of rather peculiar initiative to introduce into North America every bird species mentioned in any of William Shakespeare's works. From these original 60 the population has grown to over 150 million, making this one of the abundant songbirds on the continent.
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