Starlings do talk

[littlestar]

Hi Everyone,
Mr squeaks mentiond how he heard about starlings talking. I do have video's of some of my starlings talking. My first starling Littlefeathers does a duck call, purrs like a cat, and says kiss kiss kiss that I taught her. Two of my other starlings, Trouble ( yes that's his name) and Chirp says, chirp ring that bell and ring it ring it. Trouble also learned to tell himself to shut up, which is quite funny. Now George, he is my biggest talker as long as he doesn't see my camera, but today I made like I busy but turn the camera on to do a video. Mind you he didn't see me turn it on because I put it on the TV. My starlings don't mind me taking pictures of them they just don't want a video of them talking, these are so smart because they know when I'm going to just take pictures. Well anyway here are a couple of links if you want to listen to George talking. George didn't start talking when I first turned it on, and you also get to see my other starlings, this is before I let them out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMuRmhyi0ss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB28EKccDIY
Mary Ann

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Mary Ann,

Those are great videos That is funny that Trouble tells himself to shut up, lol. I heard George though, saying "hello George"...very cool. I've always found that the way starlings talk, is kind of creepy sounding. They sound like possessed demons from the omen or something, lol. Combined with all those buzzes and chirps they sound very different from parrots, cockatiels or their kind when they speak.

Thanks for sharing your videos!

[mr squeaks]

How fun! Bet there is a LOT of laughter around your house!

Many thanks for the videos!

[littlestar]

Your welcome.

Brad, I'm glad you liked the video's. Oh! it is funny when he tells himself to shut up. He says just as clear as can be, and the first time he said it I was looking around wondering who said it. The funniest thing is that after he said it, he did shut up. Their voices are something else (LOL).

Mr squeaks, It's never a dull moment around my house, especially with George talking from sun rise to sun set. It's funny when I say to George good night, he just keeps on talking and then he will finally say good night George, good night my babies, and then good night pretty George George. Mind you he's doing all this talking in the dark and I can help laughing.

My life would be boring without my starlings.
Mary Ann

[Maggie-NC]

Mary Ann, I really enjoyed the videos. I am impressed at how well all the starlings get along in your nice big cage.

Hope the weather down your way was better than ours has been today. Already have over 6.50 inches of rain but it is finally tapering off. Honestly, I think every hurricane, tropical storm or depression that comes up hits NC in some way every year.

[littlestar]

Hi Maggie, I'm so glad you liked the video's. I lucked out that my starlings get along with one another so well especially being that weren't raised together from day one. I wonder if it's because I give them all the same attention and they don't need to fight for it. I did give them time to get used to each other first, then I let them out in the house to fly with each other, but supervised them at all times. I have a feeling that they will except Speccy to when he gets a little bigger, but for now I have him over by them so they used to each other.
We had a steady rain since late last night, but stopped around 11 this morning and now have sunshine. We really need the rain though.
Here is a picture of George and Ravvie together how good they get along, a picture of George the talker (LOL) by himself. Ravvie is sort of a famous starling, she had a story wrote about her that was in the NYTimes and put on the internet that went world wide.

[Maggie-NC]

Mary Ann, they are just beautiful. Do you have a link to Ravvie's story? I would love to read it.

[Lovebirds]

I just love these birds. So these are wild birds that you rescued? Do we have starlings up here in VA?? I don't think I've ever seen one, but then I'm not really "up" on all the different species of birds. I know we have cardinals, bluejays, and a few different kinds of little "tweety" birds and of course the crows and HAWKS!!. There was another video on YouTube that someone had posted...........their birds were nesting in a box and fighting over who would go in........it was pretty cute. You know there are Starling Pigeons also, and for a long time I thought that was what everyone was talking about.
Anyway.......they are precious.....

[John_D]

They are amazing birds

Here, they mimic other bird calls (of course), mobile telephone ringtones and - eeek! - car alarms. I think they are related to Mynahs?

John

[littlestar]

Maggie, here is the link to the story about Ravvie.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/ny...45c156&ei=5070
Laura the lady I got her from, we stay in contact with each other. We even stayed at her house with Ravvie and my other starlings. She didn't think she would ever see Ravvie again, but I make sure she does, and I even send her pictures.

Lovebirds, They were wild and rescued when they had no feathers. Where I live I have many different kinds of birds that visit my yard everyday. I have a mocking bird that comes up almost to my sliding glass door. If you back on You Tube, there are video's of a starling name woo-wee, check them out. Yes, I have seen pictures of the starling pigeons, they are really pretty and I wouldn't mind having one.

John, I think they are related to the Mynah's. Mine mimic my phone, crickets, and my society and zebra finches, and other sounds. I don't how many times I picked up my phone only to find out it wasn't the phone, it was my starlings. The first time they did this I had up and downstairs and flew down my stairs and almost killed myself. They are very loveable little birdies and so much fun to have around.
Mary Ann

[Lovebirds]

That was a great story.............I'll have to do some research on starlings and see if they are around and I've never noticed or what. Thanks for the link.

[Maggie-NC]

Mary Ann, if that story doesn't bring a lump to the throat then nothing will. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

And, Renee, there are starlings in VA. I think they are everywhere. Out in the wild you will often see them with a flock of blackbirds and cowbirds. At first glance they're just little brown birds, about the size of a redbird but maybe more streamlined and slender. Their gait always tickles me because to me they act like they're walking on stilts. Their manner is funny too. They seem to pay no attention to things around them and move around pretty fast, always looking for food. The adult ones I've rehabbed I've called "absent minded professors" because they seem so single minded when looking for food. Their babies are beautiful and if you ever see an adult up close with the sun shining on them you'll think they are gorgeous.

They get such a bum rap - just like pigeons. Recently though I read something about farmers are building nests and encouraging them to live on their land to eat insects.

Maary Ann, I am so glad you joined our forum!

[littlestar]

Renee, Your welcome. That's my daughters middle name . Starlings are everywhere in the U.S. and Canada too.

That's the thing I like about starlings to, their fast and walk, never hop like a lot of other birds.

Maggie, thank you so much and your welcome. I'm really glad to be here on the forum with really nice and wonderful people. I'm glad you loved the story. It is so funny to watch a starling. I hope people now see the other side of starling. Up in NY State where I lived many of the starlings lived in the barns with the livestock. I would stop at some of farms and asked if I could take pictures of the starlings in the barns and the farmers would say go ahead. I would get talking to the farmers about starlings and so amazed to hear that they didn't mind the starlings because they ate the bugs on their crops and in the ground. It makes me so sad because starlings, pigeons, and even those cute little house sparrows are given such a bad rap. I've gone up against men who loves to shoot these little guys and gave them 2 choices if they continue, I'm sure you don't want to know what the choices were, all I'll say is they weren't nice choices. I guess I'm protective over them is because these little guy have touched my heart in a big way, but not only that they were put here on earth for us to enjoy not distroy.
Mary Ann

[mr squeaks]

Hi Mary Ann...thank you so much for the story link! That was truly a bittersweet wonderfully written story about a truly amazing Starling.

The more I read about them, the more amazed I am. They are quite the birds! Since finding Mr. Squeaks, I pay so much more attention to the birds around me...

[littlestar]

Your welcome mr squeaks, I love sharing this story with everyone. Laura writes books and plays which made it hard for her to keep Ravvie so looked for someone to adopt her and being I didn't work I have the time to give her, as a matter of fact I talked to her tonight and she just got back from Russia. Starlings are amazing birds and hopefully many people will see how amazing they really are. But anyway I'm glad that everyone loves the story.
Mary Ann