Illinois Raptor Center Newsletter Archive

Editor's note: In 1890, a Shakespearean zealotnamed Eugene Scheifflin turned 60 European Starlings loose inNew York City's Central Park. By January 1922, 8 starlings hadcome as far west as Champaign, Illinois. By 1982 a single roostat Champaign contained 175,000 birds. A bird count found 950,000in Springfield in 1977. The tens of millions of starlings thatplague North America today are descended from the 60 originalbirds and 40 more released the following year - part of a largerscheme by Scheifflin to transplant all the birds mentioned inSharkespeare to the New World.

Are you a starling?

Starlings. Just mention the name and people scowl. Those littleblack invaders from Europe are probably the most despised birdsin America. They are noisy, make horrible messes, and aggressivelycompete with native birds for nesting sites. They are obnoxious,and there are too many of them.

Despite this, I have to admire them. They may look plain, butno other creature carries itself with such pride. They strut acrossour lawns like beauty contest champions. They sit on top of thebirdhouses we build for other, more desirable species, and claimthem as their own.

People have harassed them, trapped them, poisoned them, shotthem, and declared outright war on them and yet, our efforts havelittle affect. It is clear to me that starlings are certain theyare the most important creatures ever to walk on planet Earth.

Think about how much we have in common with starlings. We tooare noisy. We make horrible messes. We push other species outof the way when it suits us, and there are too many of us.

These traits are precisely the reasons we hate starlings somuch. When people behave this way, however, it seems perfectlyokay. Sometimes, these traits are even admired.

So, how do we justify our behavior? How do we justify livingwastefully? Do we really have the right to do whatever we want?When you really think about it, humans may be the most arrogantspecies of all!

But people are different in one important way. Starlings cannotcontrol their behavior. They are only birds, driven by an instinctto survive and multiply. People, on the other hand, are able tomake conscious decisions about their actions. We have the abilityto form decisions based on ethics and morals. A sound ecologicalbelief may lead us to a conclusion that we are sharing this worldwith many other strange and wonderful plants, birds and animals.These things sustain us by providing food, medicine and clothing.It makes sense that we should behave in a way that benefits allspecies, not just our own.

Of course, ethical decision making takes wisdom, forethoughtand restraint. Many would prefer not to try. It is a lot easierto wave off the consequences of our actions. We say there is nothingwe can do. We can say it is not our responsibility. Or, we cantake responsibility and make simple, thoughtful decisions thatwill benefit everyone. Otherwise, we are no better than starlings.

The next time your actions have the chance to affect the worldwe live in, think carefully about your decision. Do you want tobe a human, or a starling?

by Beth Flitz has a masters in zoology from Eastern IllinoisUniversity. She is a former IRC volunteer now working for theMcHenry County Conservation District.

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