Birds · Passeriformes · Sturnidae

Spotless Starling

Sturnus unicolor

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The spotless starling is an endemic bird found almost exclusively on the Iberian Peninsula and in north-west Africa, and one of the most abundant birds of Spanish towns and cities. It is black with violet iridescence and, unlike the European common starling, shows barely any pale spotting in summer. It nests in holes in buildings and trees and forms enormous communal roosts in urban trees, which in winter can gather tens of thousands of birds.

Weight

86 g – 95 g

Size

21 cm – 23 cm

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

GeneralA great mimic: it works other birds into its song, and even alarms and doorbells.
It is a practically Iberian endemic: outside the peninsula and the Maghreb it does not exist, which makes the commonest bird of many Spanish villages a species with a very restricted world distribution.
Its urban winter roosts gather tens of thousands of birds into a few trees and generate complaints from residents about noise and droppings in many Spanish cities.
It hybridises with the common starling in the strip where the two species overlap, above all in the north-east of the peninsula.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Villages, cities, dehesa, olive groves and farmland of the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 13 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 5 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturnus_unicolor