The Surprisingly Amazing European Starling
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Image from Whatbird.com

The European Starling - they can be found almost everywhere in America. Just yesterday on a coastal bike ride in Monterey, I was feeding Starlings nuts from my trail mix in a McDonald's parking lot.

I've never thought highly of the bird as it seemed uninspiringly ordinary and ragged with its scrappy-looking feathers.
But poking around on the internet about the species has broadened my appreciation for this fascinating bird.

The millions of Starlings found in North America today can be attributed to a group of about 100 released in the 1890s.
Industrialist Eugene Schieffelin was a member of the Acclimation Society of America. He introduced the birds to North America in order to bring to the U.S. every species of bird Shakespeare had mentioned in his literary works.

Shakespeare...