Common Starling

The introduced common starling, or tāringi, is one of New Zealand’s commonest open-country birds and forms large communal roosts. Adults are compact and short-tailed with iridescent purple-green black plumage and small white spots; the pointed bill is yellow in breeding birds and dark in winter.

It is resident throughout New Zealand’s open country, coasts and towns from sea level to about 1,500 m, but avoids alpine areas and native forest interiors. Flocks probe pasture for earthworms, caterpillars and beetles, while also eating fruit, grain and scraps; thousands may wheel together before roosting.

Pasture, urban lawns and evening roost flights anywhere in settled New Zealand are reliable.