starlings

[EweSheep]

Are cowbirds the same as Grackles?

Grackles Im talking about are the black bird with purplish blue sheen on the head, silver greenish eyes and black beak. They always go with the starlings.

 

[scooter147]

Ewesheep, I always find it interesting how the same bird is called different things in different regions. We call grackles just plain ole black birds here. A cowbird here is a little smaller than a black bird and has gray from the head to the middle part of the breast.
My friends from Indiana call the common sparrow a spatzie. I had no idea what they were talking about when they refered to the hundreds of "spatizie's" they had roosting in their barn.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
No, the Grackles are black with shiny heads, cowbirds are black with brown heads.

Thing about the cowbird they dont raise their young, they lay their eggs in other birds nest.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Thats the trouble with people kill them, males are easy to tell apart, the females are alot harder to tell apart.

 

[deerman]

The starling has become a pest more for their droppings, know alot of people on here and farmers think they eat alot of grain and bird food. This is not so as they feed mainly on insects.

They seek roost and a place to get out of the weather, main reason you find them in barns and coops,not for the food.

Check out the link.

http://www.starlingtalk.com/wildstarlingdiet.htm

 

[scooter147]

deerman, I have to disagree with you on the food thing as it relates to starlings they will eat every bit of my laying mash I have in a 4 foot feeder in my coop in a matter of an hour. They are eating machines and they are not particular on what they eat.
For example. I made hamburger helper last night (2 boxes) it was nasty so we didn't eat much and this morning I gave it to the chickens, well before I could get back to the house the starlings had swarmed the run and were eating it like crazy, I had to walk back to the run and wait for my chickens to finish it up.

 

[spectrumranch]

The starling has become a pest more for their droppings, know alot of people on here and farmers think they eat alot of grain and bird food. This is not so as they feed mainly on insects.

I would have to disagree also- not that many insect available during the winter in South Dakota.

starlings they will eat every bit of my laying mash I have in a 4 foot feeder in my coop in a matter of an hour. They are eating machines and they are not particular on what they eat.
For example. I made hamburger helper last night (2 boxes) it was nasty so we didn't eat much and this morning I gave it to the chickens, well before I could get back to the house the starlings had swarmed the run and were eating it like crazy, I had to walk back to the run and wait for my chickens to finish it up.

They clean out our feeders very fast also. This morning I set my quail recovery trap on the lawn outside the window. I had 18 birds within 10 minutes, there would be more but they are very smart and several go in and out thru the funnel. So I go out and transfer the caprtured birds into a cage. Within the last hour I have got over 40 starlings.

On Monday I trapped 78 out of the camel barn with a small group still in there that I didn't get yet.

Tuesday I removed 227 out of our Ringneck pheasant barn.

Still working on todays total.

This is Tuesdays group:

 

[deerman]

Check the link in post 45.

Even here in Ohio winter, you can find insect if you move weeds and grass around.

Insect dont have to be active, for them to feed on them.
Watch a flock of starling, pick thru the grass fields, no they are no eating seed, but insect that try to winter over.

Randy open some of those crops, like to see what they have been eating.

I maybe wrong, but I dont see them eating my feed.

 

[mistylady]

Its official ..... they're back. Its starling season ..... need to buy more ammo. Last year one finally managed to poop on my hubby as he was going to work. I think they had been trying to hit him since he is the best shot with .22. He called from work fuming about the birds pooping on him ... his coworkers were the ones to ask him what his new fashion accessory was!

Poop on the shoulder and it ran down his back a ways ..... what a nice shot! I laughed ... he wasn't home so he doesn't know I laughed!

 

[spectrumranch]

Randy open some of those crops, like to see what they have been eating.

I maybe wrong, but I dont see them eating my feed.

I'm glad that you do not have the same problem we have with them eating feed.

I can honestly guess they are entering the quail cage to eat the feed- I didn't see any insects inside the cage.

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