Starling Attack in a Purple Martin Nest

This is video from inside a Purple Martin nest during a Starling attack. The nest is a SuperGourd with unmodified round entrances.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Purple
• Martin
• Attack
• Starling
• SuperGourd

[casagrandecats]

did he actually kill all the babies? did he eat te mother or just throw her out, I couldh't tell.l

[sgillbee]

The good news is that after the adults escaped the nest, the starling left the nest 30min later and never returned. The adults returned to the nest and the babies were okay. This nest hatched and fledged normally and all was okay.

But all nests have starling resistant entrances now :)

[bukaroo12]

You that say you shoot/trap starlings. How effective is the trapping vs shooting? How many birds are you able to eradicate?

[sgillbee]

We live inside city limits so firearms are verboten. So we use a standard WalMart-issue air-rifle (BB gun). It works well for sparrows... not so well for starlings. Trapping works well for both. The nice thing about trapping is that it is unattended... you don't have to be watching.

All that said, these days we haven't had many problems with starlings are converting all our housing to starling-resistant entrances (SREHs). Now we just deal with sparrows and both ways work well for them.

[newwave1965]

The Starling had total control the entire time pretty sure both the parent martins were fighting and both were almost killed.

Please remove round holes and use Starling resistant homes

for martins!

[sgillbee]

This event prompted us to renovate all our housing with SREH entrances (Starling Resistance Entrance Holes). We also installed tunnel entrances and porches which lowered the entrance holes to the floor. Starlings are able to penetrate some SREHs, but not if they are low against a porch.

[ThInTrM]

@ShadowriverUB

So you're saying that humans have no right to correct for the mistakes of other humans?

Are you saying we have no right to protect our native birds from an invasive species?

Or are you just trying to make trollish remarks about humans meddling with mother nature in general?

[ThInTrM]

@ShadowriverUB

"Just saying pure facts?" Be honest with yourself; you're just trying to mock people for preventing the extinction of native birds, laughing at them for wanting to preserve biodiversity.

[ongawesgone]

I must say, trapping is far more efficient than shooting. If starlings/house sparrows are dominating the nest site, you can set a trap and leave it for a while. However, you can only sit and wait with a gun for so long. And, I do prefer to kill the male house sparrow, since he calls in the females. I can't tell male from female starling, so I kill both. Just to be safe. : )

[ongawesgone]

Even though the starling didn't kill any of them, it was hard for me to watch, and I haven't since. I've built/maintained a bluebird trail for over 20 years, I know the devastation of these flying pestilence. Especially the house sparrows. I shoot when/where I can (.22), but mostly trap. Just bought three Van Erts and can't wait to "extinct" some house sparrows. I've heard they're on the decline. Not fast enough. I hope for extinction of starlings and house sparrows.

[rtanner77]

@youadee My farm is 10 miles from the nearest urban area, and I have problems with starlings.They are not just an urban problem anymore. Last year a pair took over one of my bluebird nestboxes; they killed the male bluebird and built their nest on top of him. I love nature and support different environmental organizations, but I know that starlings do not belong in the North American ecosystem. I don't find joy in killing anything, but I trap and shoot starlings for the sake of our native birds.

[PinkOld]

@youadee Bullshit.

You're just a clueless tree hugger who has not personally seen what they do.

I have killed over a hundred starlings, and I intend to kill THOUSANDS, plus at least as many House sparrows more before it's all over.

Enjoy knowing that, punk.

[PinkOld]

@youadee Tell me, is it also your right to suck the snot end of my fuckstick?

[PinkOld]

@youadee I'm quite sure it would have done so had it not feared the return of the parents.

My folks put out Bluebird boxes many years ago, unaware that it is crucial that the entrance must not have a perch below it, and the starlings stood on that perch and pierced the eggs and killed any hatched chicks.

When the perches were removed, the chicks survived to adulthood.

Believe me when I say that starlings are very aggressive.

A mistake to judge them by human standards, but they are that.

[CaneFu]

@youadee

Starlings ARE the terrorists in the world of birds - did you even watch this video you fucking idiot?!? They are not native to our country but are an invasive species that were imported from Europe. Starlings almost drove our blue birds and other native species to extinction. Even the most adamant conservationist will tell you that starlings should be eliminated. Do some research before posting about something that you know absolutely about you moron. You have shit for brains

[youadee]

@CaneFu I'm sure terrorists think the same way you do.

[youadee]

@PinkOld If the Starling wanted to kill, it would've killed all the chicks before it left the nest.

[youadee]

@PinkOld Starlings are urban dwellers. They don't stray far from cities. They don't fly into the forests and take over wildlands. We kill lots of native species but you don't see us killing off humans lol. I'll jabber as much as I want to. This is my right to free speech, you idiot.