Richmond, VA European Starling Removal and Control – Virginia

(804) 729-0046 or toll-free at (888) 824-7383

Need Bird Removal, Bird Trapping or Bird Control in VA? Our Richmond Virginia bird control experts can quickly and safely remove starlings in your vent. Our bird control services include birds in vents, pigeon control at commercial buildings and shopping centers, installation of bird netting, installation of bird spiking, bird removal and control, birds in your house and all types of bird proofing services throughout the Richmond VA and Central Virginia areas of VA. Contact us at (804) 729-0046 or toll-free at (888) 824-7383 for all your Richmond Virginia bird control needs.

Facts About European Starlings

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were purposefully introduced from Europe into this country. After two failed attempts, about 60 European starlings were released into New York’s Central Park in 1890 by a small group of people with a passion to introduce all of the animals mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. The offspring of the original 60 starlings have spread across the continental United States, northward to southern Canada and Alaska, and southward into Central America. There are now an estimated 150 million starlings in the United States.

Food and Feeding Habits of European Starlings

• Starlings forage on lawns and other areas of short grass, such as pastures, golf courses, turf farms, and similar places.
• One of their very favorite foods is the large larva of the leatherjacket, or marsh cranefly (Tipula paludosa), which eats the roots of grass plants. Leatherjackets (like starlings) are not native here, and were unintentionally introduced from Europe.
• Starlings have unique jaw muscles designed both to clamp shut and spring open, allowing them to use their bills to pry things open, including openings in the soil.
• Starlings also eat fruit, seeds and suet at bird feeders, and food scraps.

Nesting and Roosting Sites of European Starlings

• Starlings nest in suitable holes and crevices in buildings, utility poles, decaying trees, and holes in cliff faces, 6 to 60 feet above ground.
• Males establish territories and choose nest sites, then attract females.
• Male starlings are very aggressive when claiming nest sites, taking over nest boxes and other cavities even while they are in use by such native birds as bluebirds, woodpeckers, and swallows.
• The nest is an untidy collection of grasses, bark strips, twigs, rope, and other debris. The nest cup is lined with feathers, mosses, or other soft material.
• In late summer and fall, starlings form large flocks and roost in large deciduous trees. In early winter, when trees lose their leaves, starlings roost in areas that provide protection from wind and cold, including coniferous trees, areas under bridges, and in grain terminals and barns.
• During the night, individual birds change their position in the roost to minimize energy loss, with older birds maintaining the “best” positions.

Reproduction Habits of European Starlings

• Starlings can be building nests, sitting on eggs, or caring for young anytime from mid February to early July.
• Four to six slightly glossy, pale blue eggs hatch after an incubation period of 11 to 13 days.
• Both parents take turns with incubation during the day; at night only the female remains on the nest.
• The young begin to fly at 18 to 21 days of age, and out-of-nest care by parents lasts 2 to 4 days.
• A pair of adults can raise two broods per year. The female typically starts laying a second brood shortly after the first one fledges.
• Starling eggs (which are about the same size, shape, and color as robin eggs) often are found lying on the ground. It is believed that the females drop eggs if they are ready to lay, but the nest is not yet complete or has been taken over by another bird.

 Bird Diseases

Starlings carry several transmittable diseases that can be caught by pets, livestock and humans. Their droppings contribute to several health-related conditions, as droppings are composed of fungi and airborne spores. The most common transmittable disease birds carry include:

• Histoplasmosis
• Cryptococcus
• Toxoplasmosis
• Encephalitis
• Salmonellas

Common Problems Associated with European Starlings

• Birds in dryer vents
• Birds in bathroom vents
• Birds in attics
• Birds in soffits
• Birds in vents
• Bird mites and other parasites
• Fire hazards from nesting materials
• Unpleasant odors from bird feces (bird poop)

Legal Status of European Starlings

Starlings are exempt from the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) of 1918, which was passed for the protection of migratory birds. Their nests, eggs, young, and/or adults may be removed or destroyed at any time. No permit is required.

Our Richmond Virginia bird control experts can humanely get rid of these bird pests and repair or seal bird entry points. We are Central Virginia’s leading bird control company. If you have a question about birds in your vent, bird netting, or any type of bird control problem animal control operators of Richmond, VA have the solutions to your animal problem.

Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services is a full-service animal wildlife trapping, animal removal, animal capture, pest control, animal control, and wildlife management company serving counties, cities, towns and communities throughout Virginia. We provide residential, commercial, and industrial animal removal, animal control, animal trapping, animal capture, pest control and wildlife management services in Accomack County, Albemarle County, Alexandria County, Alleghany County, Amelia County, Amherst County, Appomattox County, Arlington County, Ashland, Augusta County, Barboursville, Bath County, Bedford County, Bland County, Bon Air, Botetourt County, Boyd Tavern, Brandermill, Brunswick County, Buchanan County, Buckingham County, Campbell County, Caroline County, Carroll County, Central VA, Charlotte County, Charlottesville, Chesapeake, Chester, Chesterfield County, Clarke County, Colonial Heights, Craig County, Culpeper County, Cumberland County , Dickenson County , Dinwiddie County, Earlysville, Elkton, Essex County, Fairfax County, Fauquier County, Ferncliff, Floyd County, Fluvanna County, Franklin County, Frederick County, Fredericksburg, Giles County, Glen Allen, Gloucester County, Goochland County, Gordonsville, Grayson County, Greene County, Greenville County, Gum Spring, Hadensville, Halifax County, Hampton, Hampton Roads, Hanover County, Harrisonburg, Henrico County, Henry County, Highland County, Isle of Wight County, James City County, Keswick, King & Queen County, King George County, King William County, Lake Anna, Lake Monticello, Lancaster County, Lee County, Loudoun County, Louisa County, Lunenburg County, Luray, Lynchburg, Madison County, Maidens, Manakin, Manakin-Sabot, Manassas County, Mathews County, Mechanicsville, Mecklenburg County, Middlesex County, Midlothian, Mineral, Montgomery County, Nelson County, New Kent County, Newport News, Norfolk, Northampton County, Northern VA, Northumberland County, Nottoway County, Oilville, Orange County, Page County, Palmyra, Patrick County, Petersburg, Pittsylvania County, Powhatan County, Prince Edward County, Prince George County, Prince William County, Pulaski County, Rappahannock County, Richmond, Richmond County, Roanoke County, Rockbridge County, Rockingham County, Rockville, Russell County, Salem, Sandy Hook, Scott County, Shannon Hill, Shenandoah County, Short Pump, Smyth County, Southampton County, Southwest VA, Spotsylvania County, Stafford County, Staunton, Suffolk, Surry County, Sussex County, Tazewell County, Tidewater VA, Troy, Virginia Beach, Warren County, Washington County, Waynesboro, Westmoreland County, Williamsburg, Wise County, Woodlake, Wythe County, York County, Yorktown, VA and the surrounding areas of Virginia.

Contact Us at (804) 729-0046 or toll-free at (888) 824-7383 for Virginia animal trapping, animal control, wildlife removal, pest control, animal capture, animal exclusion or wildlife management in VA involving:

• Bats (Little Brown Bat, Big Brown Bat, Others)
• Beavers
• Bees
• Birds
• Bobcats
• Canada Geese
• Chipmunks
• Copperhead Snakes
• Cottonmouth Snakes
• Coyotes
• Dead Animal Removal
• Deer
• European Starlings
• Flying Squirrels
• Foxes (Red and Gray)
• Groundhogs
• Mice
• Moles
• Muskrats
• Opossums
• Otters
• Pigeons
• Possums
• Raccoons
• Rats
• Rattlesnakes
• Snakes
• Southern Flying Squirrels
• Squirrels
• Stinging Insects
• Voles
• Woodchucks