Bird pests common in New Zealand. The construction of New Zealand buildings is such that they provide ideal entrance points to the warm dry eaves. Starlings often become a bigger urban pest in the colder months, as they move from rural trees to warm city buildings and stay throughout the winter. Starlings have a black with green plumage with a purple iridescence and pale spots in the winter months. Starling History in North America . The starling was first introduced to New Zealand to get rid of pest insects in crops and on farm animals.They are recognisable by their awkward walk, hyperactive behaviour and random, mimicking song. They will travel up to 60 miles to feeding areas before returning to their nesting sites for the evening. They bring dirt, odour and noise to the buildings they infest. It helps control unwanted insects, including ticks on cattle and sheep, and crop pests such as caterpillars and grasshoppers. The European Starling, also known as the Common Starling, is a small bird native to Eurasia, but introduced in South Africa, North America, Australia and New Zealand. The common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis), sometimes spelled mynah, is a member of the family Sturnidae (starlings and mynas) native to Asia. THE INVASION The European starling’s native range is Europe, southwest Asia and northern Africa. Starlings are noisy and gregarious. Starlings love to eat leatherjackets, the larvae of craneflies or daddy longlegs, which are considered a pest to many: they eat plant roots and can damage crops and make lawns look unsightly. It has also been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, North America and South Africa. Around 1,000 birds were introduced to New Zealand from the 1860s to the 1880s. It was introduced into North America, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia because of cultural longings of new immigrants and false perceptions of biological control of insects (Adeney 2001). Some farmers encourage starlings to prey on … Common Bird Pest Issues: Starlings are often referred to as the rats of the sky. The common starling is from Europe, North Africa and western Asia. The name starling comes from the small white, green, blue flecks that can be seen on their backs - usually only in summer. European Starlings, an invasive species not native to the US, were first introduced to New York in 1890 as part of a misguided attempt to introduce every bird that William Shakespeare ever wrote about into the US. Like most pests, birds are attracted to your property by food. Pest birds include feral pigeons, starlings, gulls and sparrows. Starlings are found throughout mainland New Zealand, except in densely forested or mountainous country. established pest species around the world. They are about 220mm in size weighing about 73 -98 grams. Recent studies have suggested that the number of resident starlings is in decline. Characteristics. ... Prevention is the first step for controlling any pest and birds are no exception. Starlings For farmers, the common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) has been a useful introduction. Adults are small being approximately 5-10mm long and greyish brown in colour whilst the larvae are creamy white. ... Starlings. These have a tendency to gather in large numbers and build nests in roofs and eaves. Starlings migrate by day—their daily cycle is to leave at sunrise. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the common myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments.. 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