WIldlife

Starlings

Starlings Overview

Starlings, specifically the European Starling, are medium-sized birds recognized for their iridescent black plumage speckled with white spots during the winter. These birds are known for their remarkable ability to mimic sounds and their adaptive nature, thriving in a wide range of environments. Introduced to North America in the 19th century, starlings have since become widespread, often forming large, noisy flocks that can dominate feeders and natural food sources, sometimes to the detriment of native bird species. While their murmurations are a breathtaking sight, starlings can also pose agricultural and urban challenges by damaging crops and nesting in and fouling buildings.

Starlings Diet

Starlings are highly omnivorous, with a diet that includes insects, fruits, seeds, and even human scraps. This varied diet allows them to adapt easily to both natural and urban environments. In rural areas, their feeding habits can lead to significant damage to fruit crops and pastures. In cities, starlings often scavenge for food in trash bins and around outdoor eating areas, contributing to their reputation as pests. Understanding starling feeding patterns is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate their impact, especially in sensitive areas like farms and gardens.

Starlings Scat

Starling droppings are noticeable due to their tendency to accumulate in large amounts where flocks roost, such as trees, buildings, or statues. The droppings are acidic and can damage car paint, building materials, and vegetation. In urban areas, their feces can also pose slip hazards on sidewalks and contribute to the spread of diseases like histoplasmosis. Managing areas heavily soiled by starling droppings involves regular cleaning and possibly employing deterrents to prevent roosting.

Starlings Tracks

Starling tracks may be difficult to distinguish individually due to the birds’ preference for moving in large flocks, but they show the typical three forward toes and one backward toe pattern common to many birds. The tracks are relatively small and can often be found in soft mud, sand, or snow near water sources, feeding areas, or roosting sites. While starling tracks are not commonly a focus for property management or wildlife observation, recognizing these signs can help in identifying and managing areas where starlings congregate or cause issues.

Starlings
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We recently discovered that squirrels were getting in our attic and into the walls of the girls bedroom. They had literally started to chew a hole in the wall and would’ve found themselves in the closet before much longer, but thankfully we caught it. Alpha Wildlife – South Carolina came...
Daniel Basham
Very friendly and prompt communication. I had a strange smell in my home on thanksgiving and called on black friday morning. After leaving a message, Thomas responded quickly and was at my home within the hour. It ended up being a dead opossum in my crawlspace! Thank you Thomas and...
Tai Vu
Thomas was the first person to answer my phone call regarding a bat removal from my grandmother’s home on a Saturday. He was reassuring, informative and came immediately, arriving within 30 minutes of our phone call. He not only removed the bat safelt, but aLeo informed us of next steps...
Lauren Addy
Not only was Thomas professional and courteous, but he remained communicative, punctual, respectful, thoughtful, honest, and thorough throughout the job. He identified our issue (bats), showed us each access point and potential alternative access point, explained the problem and solution to us, directed us to appropriate websites that shared both...
Valerie Torstenson
Dylan was very professional and the 1st night we caught 2 possum but we were going after groundhog. He left more goodies in the cage and a week later we had him Dylan was so great....
Patricia Truett
This company is the Best when it comes to pest professional at its best Dylan is a troop he got got a pesky snoop of a squirrel from my attic and we are Truly Greatful! Call him for your pests!...
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Pam Coppenger
Alpha Wildlife did an outstanding job on getting those pesky bats out of my attic. Dylan was very knowledgeable about bats and many other wildlife issues. He explained the whole process and his work was thorough and top notch. I’m bat free and a very satisfied customer. I highly recommend...
Cathcart Louque
Had a situation where we thought we had some squirrels in our attic. Turns out they were just in the top portion of our front porch canopy. Corey gave us a personalized plan to get the squirrels out of the space, and seal the space back up and spray to...
Vince Swann
I called Alpha Wildlife a few weeks ago after hearing an animal in the crawl space over night. Harrison came out the same day and provided us with a plan to remove the critter and seal up our crawl space. He took the time to answer my numerous questions and...
Johanna Heeren
We had the best experience with Alpha Wildlife and have already recommended them to others as well! I called them about some birds nesting in our exhaust vents and Harrison was able to come out the same day to assess things and came back to fix everything the following day....
Cassandra L
They were timely, professional, and courteous. Most importantly no more critters in our attic!...
Yousef Jefferson
I had issues with 3 raccoons and a possum, Dan was awesome. He removed the critters, they were trapped on different days. I was surprised that a possum came onto my property. Hopefully, I will not have any issues with raccoons since Dan’s crew retrofited my entire roof line. I...
Carolyn Thomas
Brandon from Alpha Wildlife is a very professional young man. He went thru our crawlspace hunting a snake. Although he couldn’t find one, he shared alot of incredible information. I hope to have him back soon to seal our home. Thank you Brandon…...
Susan Garbiras
We had a pretty significant bat problem at my house. Brandon did a great job of fixing the problem but also communicating throughout the process. Very happy with his work and would highly recommend Alpha Wildlife....
Jacob Duncan
Had an issue with bats. Based on the 5 star reviews I decided to go with Alpha Wildlife, and so glad I did. Very communicative, professional,and resolved my issue in a very timely manner.A superior job/would definitely not hesitate to recommend them to anyone needing their type of services....
Amy Heist
Alpha Wildlife was quick and precise to inspect and give a plan for the removal of a dead animal in our crawlspace. There was great communication from start to finish 5/5...
Bradley Huff
We recently had some squirrels move into our attic and start chewing through the drywall in the ceiling of our dining area. Thomas came out and assessed the situation, gave us a reasonable quote for trapping, removal, and abatement and got to work. I absolutely would not hesitate to call...
Joshua Gifford
Dylan was informative and worked hard to get rid of the bird nests and prevent them from returning. I would definitely use them again....
Deborah Foster
Gene displayed outstanding professionalism and knowledge throughout the entire process. Alpha Wildlife resolved my problems with the correct approach I was looking for....
Tim Hawkins
Josh was amazing! He is professional and very kind. He gave us a thorough inspection of our home and cleared and secured our home from squirrels within days. Well worth every penny, knowing our hose is pest free!! Strongly recommend!...
Meredith Stenhoff
Harrison responded quickly to my call for help regarding something that had eaten a hole in my roof. Turned out it was a raccoon. Harrison was very knowledgeable and professional. He followed through with the plan we decided on. I was very pleased with the whole process and outcome. I...
Peggy Atchley
I called Alpha Wildlife for a bird in my dryer vent. He came out the next day, took care of it in a few minutes and the cost was much less than what I was originally quoted! I definitely recommend Alpha Wildlife!...
Kendall Hall