Solution: Extermination

Repelling and poisoning methods are the most successful when focused on roost control, the regulation of large quantities of starlings in one nesting location. Though this method will wipe out large populations very quickly (over the course of about 3 days with most toxins), it can be dangerous to both wild and urban ecosystems. Starlicide Compete is a chemical compound developed at the Denver Wildlife Research center that kills not only starlings, but also other bird species (Adeney 2001). Starlicide loses its potency if stored for too long and can be a potential waste of money (Adeney 2001).

Roost control may kill large quantities at a time, but carcass control, as seen in figure 1, is a concern in many urban locations. The massive amounts of bodies that accumulate threaten humans due to the histoplasmosis spores that come from the carcasses (Adeney 2001).  The potential harm caused by this method to another species of bird or an entire ecosystem may outweigh the benefits of wiping out large populations of starlings. The success of this solution greatly relies on individual circumstances and the maintenance of the location thereafter.

 

Figure 1. Carcasses of dead starlings must be remove from streets and yards. (Johsson 2010). 

Due to the sheer number of starling in any given roost, shooting (though satisfying) is not an effective control (Schuster 2010). People often use any range of small pellet guns (such as the one in Figure 2) to shotguns (Schuster 2010). However, shooting used as a startling mechanism can frighten roosts into scattering and relocating (Schuster 2010).

Figure 2. Pellets as small as .22 caliber can kill starlings from a long range, but only one at a time. (Mitchell 2009).

Works Cited:

Adeney, J. M. (2001) European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Invasion Biology Introduced Species Summary Project. Columbia University. (Date Accessed: May 11, 2013.) http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Sturnus_vulgaris.html

Patrik Johsson. (2010) Bye Bye Blackbird: USDA acknowledges a hand in one mass bird death. The Christian Science Monitor. (Date Accessed: May 17, 2013). http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0120/Bye-Bye-Blackbird-USDA-acknowledges-a-hand-in-one-mass-bird-death 

Randy Mitchell. (2009) New .22 Caliber Pellets from Tech Force. Pneumatic Pnews. Compasseco Inc. (Date Accessed: May 17, 2013). http://www.compasseco.com/blog/2009_03_01_archive.html

Schuster, J. (2010) European Starlings: Population Control Methods. Wild Wing. Wild Wing Company (Date Accessed: May 11, 2013.) http://www.wildwingco.com/starlings.html