Distribution and Migration of the European Starling in North America

Since its first successful establishment in Central Park, New York City, in 1890 and 1891, the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) has proved itself a resourceful, hardy bird, well adapted to the environmental conditions existing in many parts of North America.The species has extended its range on the continent until currently (1952) it is found throughout southern Canada, the entire United States except southern Florida, and extreme northeastern Mexico.It breeds extensively in the United States and Canada throughout that part of its range northeast of a line extending from south-central British Columbia, northeastern Oregon, and northern Utah to southern Mississippi.Southwest of this line the starling occurs only during the winter months and in migration.Numerous authors have observed and recorded the westward spread of the starling in North America, and several good summaries have been published: Forbush ( 1916)) Kalmbachand Gabrielson (1921), Wood (1924), Cooke (1925, 1928), Lewis (1927), Hoffman (1930), Dickerson (1938), Wing (1943a), and Bent (1950).The last areas to be reached by the starling in its westward spread have been those of the Pacific Coast.To bring the published summaries up to date, table 1 lists the range extensions into this region.The starling has consistently tended to extend its breeding range faster in the north than in the south (fig.7)) and the published breeding records of the starling west of the continental divide further substantiate this: Salt Lake City, Utah (Lockerbie, 1949); William' s Lake, British Columbia (Racey, 1950); near Grangeville, Idaho (Jollie, 1951) ; LaGrande, Oregon (Quaintance, 195 1) ; and Roxboro, Washington (Hudson and King, 1951).The next few years will undoubtedly witness a further extension of the starling' s breeding range into the Pacific Northwest.RESIDENT VERSUS MIGRATORY BIRDS The starling as a species is a permanent resident within its breeding range in North America.Many individuals of the population are themselves permanent residents.Marked individuals have inhabited the immediate environs of Fernow Hall, Ithaca, New York, throughout the year; and many birds known to have bred in the vicinity of Ithaca in one or more seasons have been found close to these same localities during the winter.On the other hand, some individuals are highly migratory.Birds banded at Ithaca in the winter have been found in the summer in northern New York, and in Quebec, and Ontario, Canada.Others banded in winter at Fort Smith, Arkansas, have been recovered in subsequent summers in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Ontario.Still others banded in summer at Union, Ontario, have been found in the winter in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Florida.Present data fail to indicate precisely the composit,ion of the migratory portion of the starling population in North America, but the evidence indicates that some members of each age and sex category may migrate.Many young of the year wander great distances during the summer months and many are found far south of their place of hatching during their first winter, apparently having undertaken a migration in the autumn (Fish and Wildlife Service Bird-Banding Files).Adult birds, that is, birds over one year of age, also mi-[ 49 1 LlBfiARY