Starlings are some of the most well known birds in the UK but are under threat (Image: Getty)
Anyone who sees starlings in their garden is being urged to do three things to help them as soon as possible as they face a threat to their survival.
The famous British birds appear all over the UK from north to south, and often form huge flocks in months to help them survive the cold, rather than migrate abroad.
While it’s estimated that there are as many as 1.75 million breeding pairs of starlings in Britain, their numbers are thought to be falling thanks to a reduction in food available in , in particular insects, while climate change and pesticides also harm them.
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Now, anyone who sees the birds in their is being urged to take action to help them.
Website Songbird Survival said: “As starlings gather in the evenings to roost, often they will participate in what is called a murmuration — a huge flock that shape-shifts in the sky as if it were one swirling liquid mass. The most spectacular roosts now attract crowds of human spectators: Britain’s most famous roosts include Brighton Pier, Sussex; Ham Wall in Somerset, Aberystwyth Pier; Leighton Moss, Lancashire; Fen Drayton, Cambridgeshire. One of the biggest roosts in Europe is in the centre of Rome.
“[But] it is hypothesised that reductions in insect availability may be proving challenging for starlings and reducing their first year, and adult survival. Insect declines are thought to be caused by pesticide use, land-use change and other agricultural practices along with climate change. More research is needed to ascertain the full picture for the reasons of the decline in starling populations.
The experts go on to set out how you can help, adding that keeping your old leaves in your instead of sweeping them up will help them, as well as extra food on bird tables.
They said “Supplementary feeding on bird tables. Provide a nest box for starlings to nest in and leave old leaves in your garden so that they can use them to build their nests.”
Starlings will feed on fruits and seeds in particular so these are best left on bird tables.