Are Starlings A Pest?

Starlings are very common birds that live just about anywhere and eat just about anything. On agricultural land, starlings often help farmers by eating large amounts of harmful insects. A flock of hungry starlings can destroy a whole swarm of locusts before the insects get a chance to breed and multiply to sufficient numbers to destroy the whole season's crops.

So, in that way, starlings are useful rather than being pests. However, they can be a real menace because of their varied diet. They eat insects when they are readily available but they are just as happy to be vegetarians. When they turn to plant food, a farmer can have real problems. They can be a real menace if they decide to feed on orchards, vineyards and wheatfields as they pounce in their thousands and can strip the fields of fruit and grain in a short time.

In many cities starlings are also unpopular because they roost on roof tops and ledges of buildings where they make a lot of noise and a lot of mess with all their droppings.