Tim Sexton: Starlings are now a conservation concern

By Nottingham Post  |  Posted: November 14, 2015

Returning to the UK after a week's holiday  in the Czech Republic, I was treated to a close-up wildlife experience that I had not witnessed for some time – a flock of starlings less than a few feet away from me.

These incredibly colourful birds seem black at a distance, but it is only when you see them at close quarters that you can truly appreciate their colourful winter plumage; glossy black feathers with iridescent green and purple tones and white speckled tips.

Watching so many of these birds in the built-up surroundings of Luton Airport, it was hard to believe that this is a species that is in trouble. Despite coming second in a recent survey of the top 10 common garden birds, the number of starlings breeding in the UK have plummeted by some 80% since 1979. As a result this species has now been added to the red-list of Birds of Conservation  Concern.

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