Where Does a Starling Nest?
Starlings are cavity nesters, meaning that they prefer to build their homes inside holes and crevices. Starlings often nest within tree hollows and even cracks in utility poles. In urban areas, nests occupy building eaves, window ledges, and almost any other place between 6 and 60 feet off the ground.
What Does a Starling Nest Look Like?
Starling nests are a loosely woven mass of bark, grass, twigs, and trash. The birds line their nests with soft feathers or moss to protect their glossy, pale blue eggs. Starlings typically lay between four and six eggs at a time.
Problems with Starling Nests
During breeding season, aggressive starlings often take over the homes of native species like woodpeckers, bluebirds, and swallows. After their offspring leave the nest, starlings usually roost together in large flocks. The combined sound of so many birds in one place can be overwhelming.
Starling nests cause problems for homeowners as well. Removing an unsightly nest is no guarantee that the birds will stay away. Starlings reconstruct their homes in only a few hours and will even tear through window screens to reach a nesting spot. This becomes a problem when the pests rebuild nests that block gutters or vents.
Bird Removal
To keep starling nests out of attics and vents, fit openings with secure covers. Homeowners can also discourage these birds from coming into yards by keeping trash in tightly sealed containers. If nesting starlings simply will not leave, the specialists at Critter Control offer humane solutions to bird problems.