Talkin' Starlin'
Here's a crazy gift idea for you!
Believe it or not, there are people who keep starlings as pets in North America. Because they are non-native to the United States, it is totally legal. Goodness knows we've got enough of them. They are incredibly messy birds, but since they are related to mynah birds and are amazing mimics (think of all the times you thought you heard an unusual bird only to discover a starling on territory nearby) they can be trained to talk. Check this video of Weewoo the Starling. There are several videos of this talking starling on You Tube, I liked this one the best, it's the shortest at about a minute long. If you want to watch other Weewoo videos, keep in mind he asks for kisses A LOT. I think I dated Weewoo once.
I heard a rumor once that there was a pet shop in Roseville, Minnesota selling starlings for $75--seriously that's highway robbery!
Believe it or not, there are people who keep starlings as pets in North America. Because they are non-native to the United States, it is totally legal. Goodness knows we've got enough of them. They are incredibly messy birds, but since they are related to mynah birds and are amazing mimics (think of all the times you thought you heard an unusual bird only to discover a starling on territory nearby) they can be trained to talk. Check this video of Weewoo the Starling. There are several videos of this talking starling on You Tube, I liked this one the best, it's the shortest at about a minute long. If you want to watch other Weewoo videos, keep in mind he asks for kisses A LOT. I think I dated Weewoo once.
I heard a rumor once that there was a pet shop in Roseville, Minnesota selling starlings for $75--seriously that's highway robbery!
posted by birdchick at 4:04 PM
9 Comments:
We had a pet starling for many years--got him from a guy who had a bluebird trail. We named the starling Mortimer, and he was a splendid pet, though as you note pretty messy. Mortie never did learn to talk, but imitated a huge array of sounds around the house, from the tea kettle and ringing telephone to the smoke alarm. He could do dead-on imitations of birds heard through the window, too. I loved listening to him.
In California, the crosswalk signs chirp in a very distinctive way when activated so that the blind and sight impaired will know when to cross.
When I was at the Oakland airport, I heard a starling doing a deadon imitation of the crosswalk chirps. I was amazed and amused, and then thought "Ooooh, this could be bad."
The part of this video that amused me the most was the way my cat's ears started twitching when the bird did the chirping bit. :)
I had a new bird in my backyard today, Sharon! It was a mourning dove. First time I've seen one of those back there.
~other Sharon
Do the big flocks of Starlings in North America "swarm" like they do over here?
Somebody told me about a thousand years ago that Starlings were introduced to North America as excapee pets.
I once had a starling that had been shot and was blind in both eyes. It was a great mimic. I learned to really appreciate the beauty of starlings. John O'Neill has always advocated Starlings as pets. Like these...
http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/votacio.phtml?idVideo=6092&tipus=1
When I was little, we lived in England and we adopted a starling who was booted from his nest (one way or another). My mother kept it and fed it and taught it to fly. The starling still preferred to walk everywhere and was seen in the neighborhood years later still walking almost everywhere. I guess it flew when it had to. Anyway, watching Weewoo, I'm kind of glad we didn't keep the darling.
I can't imagine Cinnamon would approve.
Environmental disaster that they are wherever they have been introduced, European Starlings are still fascinating animals. Check out the brief chapter in Julie Zickefoose's new book for a thoroughly endearing treatment of the species, in words and in pictures.
Hi Starling lovers. I live in northwest Missouri, and have several starlings. I have seen some white and partially white starlings and have been trying to obtain some. If anyone can help me obtain any white or part white starlings, please contact me. My email address is glledo@aol.com
Thanks,
Gary
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