First Decade of European Starling in Brazil: Spatial Distribution, Expansion Rates and Insights of Nesting Biology

We compiled records of Sturnus vulgaris (European Starling) in Brazil over the ten years following its first documented occurrence in the country. The dataset included field campaigns and summarized data from citizen science platforms, field data, and reports from researchers and birdwatchers. A total of 2618 abundance records were compiled across 219 occurrences, with only five additional records distributed across the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais, while all others 97.7% came from Rio Grande do Sul state, the southern border of Brazil. In just one decade, the species has expanded across a considerable portion of the Brazilian Pampa, with a mean expansion rate ranging between 19.2 and 25.5 km2/year, with higher abundance along the border with Uruguay. We identified 55 nesting sites, most of which were located in cavities previously excavated by woodpeckers (Picidae), primarily in Eucalyptus trees. Breeding begins in September, peaks between October and November, and extends until the end of December. The data from this study indicates a high degree of behavioral plasticity in the species, facilitating its rapid adaptation and expansion within the Pampa biome.