Differences between Starling and Stork

Starling and Stork are two classes of birds that belong to the Sturnidae and Ciconiidae families respectively.

Starlings are resplendent song birds that are short and stout. There are about 110 species of Starlings across the globe. The birds have short tails and flat wings. Their bills are slender, pointed, and yellow. They are fierce, aggressive, greedy, and smart birds. The plumage of these birds is a sparkling purple green during summers, while they turn brown with white spots in winters. The feet are strong and bright orange or brown in color. Starlings are known as noisy birds. They can produce a plethora of sounds, like chirping, chattering, whistling, and rattling. Further, they can imitate the calls of other birds, human voices and words, mobile ringtones, car honks, and several other sounds.

Stork is a large wading bird with long legs and long beak. Its beak and legs are usually red in color, while its eyes are grey. The color of its body could be streaks of white, black, and red depending on the geography. The bird’s head and upper neck are usually not covered with feathers. The Stork is almost mute as it has an undeveloped syrinx. The Stork family consists of about 20 species of birds such as Marabou Stork and Adjutant Stork. The family is related to Herons, Ibises, and Flamingos.

Where are Starling and Stork found?

Starlings are commonly seen in agricultural lands, parks, gardens, grasslands, and cities. The bird is native to Europe and Asia. Having been introduced to other parts of the world, they can also be found in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, North America, Canada, and Caribbean Islands.

Storks choose to live near marshes, grasslands, meadows, rivers, ponds, and lakes. They are not prevalent across the world. They exist chiefly in Asia, Africa, and Europe. One bird from their species can be found in Australia, while three others occur around Argentina and Florida.

What do Starling and Stork eat?

Starlings are omnivores. They forage mainly on the ground. So, they chiefly eat larvae, worms, insects, beetles, grasshoppers, snails, seeds, nuts, and fruits.

Storks are carnivores that mainly eat fish. They also feed on reptiles, insects, amphibians, mice, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and even small alligators. They generally capture their prey in fields and shallow waters.

Here are a few pointers about the eating patterns between Starling and Stork

• Starling do not eat Fish while Stork eat Fish.
• Both Starling and Stork eat Frogs.
• Both Starling and Stork eat Lizards.
• Both Starling and Stork eat Snakes.
• Starling do not eat Turtles while Stork eat Turtles.
• Starling do not eat Squirrels while Stork eat Squirrels.
• Starling do not eat Gophers while Stork eat Gophers.
• Starling do not eat Baby Ducks while Stork eat Baby Ducks.
• Starling do not eat Mice while Stork eat Mice.

Size of Starling and Stork?

When it comes to size, Starlings are tiny birds. They are about seven to nine inches long with a wingspan of 12-17 inches. Nias Hill Myna is the largest in the family with a length of nearly 14 inches.. Storks are huge birds. They are about two to five feet tall with wide wings that measure over 10 feet. The biggest storks in the world are the Shoebill and Marabou that stand five feet tall.

Starlings weigh about 2.04-3.5 ounces. Nias Hill Myna weighs the heaviest among all Starling species at 14 ounces. while Average weight of Storks is 3-17 pounds depending on the species. Marabou is the largest species and weighs around 17 pounds.

Where do Starling and Stork nest?

Starlings make their nests in scattered colonies. The nests, made of grass and twigs, are mostly built in holes and cavities of trees and buildings. They are usually located 10 to 30 feet above the ground. The eggs are oval and a soft green or blue in color. The female bird largely incubates the eggs for about 12 days. The chicks get fed by both parents in the nest for three weeks, after which they fledge.

Storks build their nests on trees and shrubs that stand in flooded water. They do so to keep predators away from eating the eggs. Both male and female birds participate in the construction of the nest, besides sharing the responsibility to incubate them for about five weeks, after which the eggs hatch. Baby Storks usually fledge 50-65 days after hatching. An interesting fact about parenting in Storks is that the parents sometimes throw some chicks out of the nests so that they can feed the healthy chicks well and support their survival.

How long do Starling and Stork live?

The average lifespan of Starlings is two to five years in the wild. They live longer in captivity. The wild birds roost in groups and migrate in winters to extend their lifespan. The life expectancy of Starlings is affected by high mortality of baby birds, scarcity of food, hunting, and predator attacks. The oldest lived starling was nearly 23 years old. It was found in the wild in Denmark.

Storks can live for over 30 years in the wild. They have been known to live up to 35 years in captivity. The longest living species was a White Stork that lived for 39 years in Switzerland.

Are Starling or Stork migratory birds?

Migration of Starlings depends on their geography. The ones living high up in the northern hemisphere move southward during winters. In the UK, they relocate from the west coast to the east coast. The birds from North America and Canada usually move to the USA. The Asian species travel from northeastern regions towards the south and west. Some species also stop over in the Middle East and North Africa.

Storks migrate during winters to warmer regions as they cannot find food in colder weather. They are known to migrate long distances, for instance from Europe to Africa, sub-Saharan region to South Africa or India. They mostly migrate in huge groups.

Do Starling and Stork fly in flocks?

A flock of Starlings is called murmuration. The birds are extremely gregarious and live in large flocks comprising of several hundreds to thousands of birds. Flocking helps the birds to stay safe from predators and keep themselves warm at night. It also gives them an opportunity to communicate with each other about sources of food.

A group of Storks is known as a muster of Storks or a phalanx of Storks. These birds are highly sociable. They stay together and migrate in massive flocks that can even encompass a thousand birds. However, during the breeding season they prefer smaller groups or solitude.

Are Starling or Stork protected?

Starlings are not protected in major parts of the world. Only a few countries like the UK and Canada have laws prohibiting harming and hunting of the birds. Starlings are largely considered as pests because they destroy crops like grapes, strawberries, apples, and figs besides many other fruits and seeds. They also consume water and feed kept for livestock, while contaminating the feed with their droppings. To save their crops and livestock from the nuisance, farmers kill Starlings by shooting and poisoning them.

Storks are a protected species in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Conservation laws like the African Conservation Action Plan and the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement have come up in response to concerns of the International Union for Conservation of Nature that the Black Storks are not protected satisfactorily.

Are Starling or Stork endangered?

Starlings are not endangered birds. However, their population is falling drastically in several parts of the world, especially the UK.

Storks are extant birds. They had become extinct in the UK about 500 years back but emerged back in the 1970s. They have however become extinct in Japan, Korea, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. The Adjutant Stork is endangered in India and Cambodia, and the Painted Stork is critically endangered in parts of Asia. Very few Storks are also left in Italy due to widespread poaching.

Can Starling and Stork fly?

The flight of the Starling murmuration is a sight to behold. The birds fly in massive groups that could even consist of over 10,000 birds. The swarm could include other Starling species and other bird species as well. Starlings fly in different patterns to maintain fluid formation. As the birds swoop and swirl, the shift in pattern is seamless, synchronous, and swift. The avian behavior is a result of extreme coordination. Each bird always aligns itself to the immediate seven birds around it. The murmuration is intended to keep the flock safe and intimidate the predators with the enormity. It also helps the birds to conserve energy during long flights. Starlings are known to be able to fly at speeds of 37-50 miles an hour. During migration, they travel up to 620-930 miles in a day.

Storks fly with their neck and legs stretched out. They flap and soar with their broad wings, using thermal air currents. They can reach altitudes of 1,500 metres above sea level and touch speeds of over 110 miles per hour. During migration, they fly nearly 4,400 miles.

Can Starling and Stork swim?

Starlings are not regular swimmers although they can manage to swim. They regularly bathe in water to keep their plumage clean and reduce body temperature in summers.

Storks are not swimmers. They do not prefer deep waters and usually choose shallow waters for their habitat.

Mating patterns among Starling and Stork

At the onset of the breeding season, the male Starling birds find a nesting location and prepare the base of the nest using grass and leaves. He then perches at the nesting site, singing and waving with his wings to attract the female. The male and female are said to have paired when they partner to complete the construction of the nest and carry out other activities together. The partners raise one to two broods each year. Each clutch typically consists of three to six eggs.

Storks start breeding when they are about four years old. The male bird is the first one to arrive at the nesting site. He initiates by building a nest or revamping an existing one and ducking on it. The male and female engage in elaborate mating dances. They raise a single brood each year, which consists of two to five eggs.

When is the mating season for Starling and Stork ?

The mating season for Starlings depends on the geography. Typically, it is during April-June. Starlings could make breeding attempts more than once a year.

The breeding season for Storks is generally the spring. This is usually from the start of February till the end of April.

Do Starling and Stork mate for life?

Starlings are monogamous during each breeding season. Nevertheless, the male could look for a mate when his partner is incubating the eggs. Female birds who have not mated during the season could be aggressive towards those who are mating the second time.

Storks are known to be monogamous and faithful to their partners during every breeding season and even for a few years. They may find new partners during migrations or in consecutive breeding seasons. In case of monogamous partners, they generally revisit their nesting site and use the same nests with little restoration.

How do Starling and Stork sleep?

Starlings choose roosting sites that are safe from predators and shielded from harsh weather. They tend to sleep more during winters. They sleep for less than five hours in summers and around three hours on full moon nights. When the flocks gather at roosting sites, they perform avian stunts and spend time in communication before resting for the night.

Storks roost in colonies. They sleep on trees and shrubs surrounded by water. Some storks even sleep standing on one leg in water.

Can Starling and Stork be eaten?

Starlings are widely consumed by people. Their meat is cooked in different ways. They are a regular meal in countries like France. Killing the birds for meat is allowed in several nations.

Storks are edible and some people do eat them. However, the bird is protected, and it is illegal to kill them for food.

Can you hunt Starling or Stork?

Starlings are not protected in most countries. They are hunted for sport and meat. They are also hunted and killed for the destruction they cause to agricultural lands and livestock.

Thousands of White Storks lose their lives every year due to illegal hunting for sport, especially in Lebanon and Italy. The birds are also shot for their meat. All this is despite existence of laws to protect the bird.

Can you feed Starling or Stork?

Starlings eat worms, berries, and fruits. At agricultural lands and livestock farms, people often have feeding stations for Starlings to prevent them from attacking crops and the feeds reserved for livestock. The birds are fed with peanuts, sunflower seeds, mealworms, egg powder, and leafy greens.

Feeding wild animals and birds in public places is not permitted in places like USA, Singapore, and Dubai. Storks are huge birds and need to be fed a lot of food. In captivity, these birds are fed with fish, frogs, small birds, earthworms, lizards, and meat.