Native to: Europe
 
   
Introduced to: Southern Canada to Northern Mexico ( including U.S.)
Mode of transportation: Released in 1890 as part of a plan to introduce all birds mentioned in Shakespeare's works to the U.S.
   
 

While starlings sometimes eat insect crop pests, they also cause damage to crops themselves. European Starlings also drive out many native species. An over-abundance of these aggressive, talkative birds leads to a lack of avian diversity! Starlings can also spread disease to humans...

 
     
 
    One hundred European Starlings were released in New York City in 1890--only fifteen pairs survived. Over the next hundred years, starling populations in the U.S. increased a million-fold from the original fifteen. These birds can tolerate a range of habitats, enabling it to spread from the Atlantic all the way to the Pacific.