I attempt my finest to stop, repel, and deter starlings at my feeders.
And earlier than you say that I ought to feed all of God’s creatures with a smile on my face, I would like you to know that I wholeheartedly disagree! I’ll gladly ship you all my starlings and allow you to pay for all of the fowl meals they devour. 🙂
*Click on right here to skip on to the 4 methods that assist cease starlings!*
Listed here are THREE explanation why I attempt to maintain European Starlings out of my yard:
Starlings are aggressive!
- Top-of-the-line causes to eliminate starlings is as a result of they’re aggressive in the direction of different birds, and it’s not unusual to witness them attacking and scaring away different species from my feeders.
Starlings journey in giant flocks!
- The opposite downside arises with the truth that starlings don’t journey solo. These loud, raucous birds usually arrive in giant flocks, utterly taking up your feeding station. I really feel unhealthy for another species that attempt to sneak in for a fast chew. If starlings simply got here separately, I might take pleasure in them MUCH extra.
Starlings are invasive to North America!
- Do you know that starlings aren’t even presupposed to be right here? Again in 1890, 40 starlings have been introduced over from Europe and launched in New York Metropolis’s Central Park. The person accountable (Eugene Schieffelin) had a mission to introduce the entire birds talked about in Shakespeare’s performs in North America.
- The remainder is historical past as starlings simply conquered the continent, alongside the best way out-competing a lot of our lovely native birds. Their means to eat virtually something and adapt to human improvement is uncanny, and second to no different species, besides possibly the Home Sparrow. Thanks for nothing Eugene!
Only a warning earlier than we start: Even implementing the methods listed beneath, starlings are extraordinarily onerous to stop in your yard! My finest protection is utilizing the entire suggestions collectively.
#1. Select your meals properly.
An effective way to maintain starlings away out of your fowl feeders is to make use of meals they don’t take pleasure in consuming. Let’s have a look at the physique sort of a European Starling. Particularly, take a more in-depth have a look at their beak.
The form of a starling’s beak is lengthy, pointy, and comfortable, which is ideal for consuming invertebrates reminiscent of bugs, spiders, worms, snails, and caterpillars. Their beak additionally permits them to eat fruit, grains, and small seeds.
If you’re utilizing any of the beneath meals at your feeding station, then you’re in danger for a starling invasion!
Meals that starlings CAN’T RESIST:
- Cracked corn: Starlings LOVE cracked corn, and it is perhaps their favourite meals! Take away instantly to assist eliminate starlings.
- Sunflower kernels/chips: Due to their comfortable and pointy beaks, starlings like every seed that has already been cracked open, reminiscent of sunflower chips.
- Suet with corn, peanuts, and so forth.: In my yard, starlings go loopy for suet, however provided that it has cracked corn, peanuts, or different shelled seed inside. If I simply put out plain suet, they have an inclination to not devour it as quick.
- Shelled Peanuts: As you will notice beneath, peanuts nonetheless within the shell are nice to make use of to stop starlings.
- Millet: Starlings love consuming any type of grain, together with all forms of millet.
- Mealworms: Invertebrates make up a big portion of a starling’s weight loss program in nature, so this isn’t shocking.
- Bread or different human meals: There’s a motive starlings thrive residing round individuals. They love most of the similar issues we eat!
So what meals maintain starlings away from our fowl feeders?
Figuring out which forms of meals starlings don’t desire is important in your quest to stop them. Small shifts within the meals I supply in my feeding station have made an unlimited distinction in maintaining them away.
Due to their slender and comfortable beak, starlings have hassle consuming any meals that has a thick outer shell. Their beak doesn’t present the kind of leverage or energy wanted to crack the meals open.
Listed here are FIVE meals that assist deter starlings:
- Meals #1: Black-oil sunflower
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Starlings will eat black-oil sunflower, however in my humble opinion, they don’t appear to like it. When you’ve got an enormous starling downside, you may additionally have to take away black-oil sunflower, however fortunately I’ve not had many points providing it.
- Meals #2: Striped sunflower
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The sort of sunflower seed has a a lot thicker shell than black-oil sunflower. Fortunately, starlings have enormous issues opening up the shell to get to the scrumptious seed inside.
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The miracle seed! Starlings, squirrels, and different blackbird species don’t look after safflower, however most different feeder birds (cardinals, chickadees, and so forth.) eat it willingly.
- Meals #4: Peanuts within the shell
A starling’s wimpy beak can’t break by way of the onerous exterior.
View Worth – Amazon | View Worth – Chewy
This small seed is just too small for starlings to hassle with.
And there you could have it. 🙂 Being conscious of the meals in my yard is a central a part of my starling prevention technique.
#2. Use a starling-proof fowl feeder.
This technique is my favourite technique to maintain starlings away from fowl feeders. If starlings can’t bodily entry your fowl meals, then they will’t eat! 🙂
The excellent news is that deploying a starling-proof fowl feeder will cease starlings from feeding. The unhealthy information is that the feeder can even forestall another medium-size fowl or bigger from consuming, together with many that you simply need to see!
Listed here are three forms of feeders that forestall starlings:
Caged fowl feeders:
A metallic cage encloses the feeder. The holes are sufficiently small to maintain starlings (and squirrels) away, however large enough to let most smaller songbirds by way of to feed. I LOVE watching starlings grasp onto the surface of the cage and simply have a look at the scrumptious meals on the within. 🙂
Audubon caged tube feeder Verify Worth – Amazon
Weight-sensitive feeders:
These feeders can usually be adjusted to shut when a specific amount of weight is utilized.
I personal the Absolute II hopper fowl feeder beneath, and it’s one of many favourite total feeders in my yard. And it’s additionally nice at stopping squirrels. 🙂
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Let me be clear, a weight-sensitive feeder WON’T cease starlings like a caged feeder. The hope is that you’ll decelerate a whole flock of starlings.
For instance, on the Absolute II feeder above, I could make the perches extremely delicate to weight, the place just one medium-sized fowl (like a starling) can feed at a time. As quickly as a second starling tries to hop on the perch, the feeder closes.
I really like this feeder as a result of solely ONE (possibly two) starlings can eat at a time. It’s nice as a result of an entire flock of starlings can’t sit there and wipe your whole meals out in a sitting.
Upside-down suet feeders:
I completely take pleasure in feeding suet to woodpeckers in my yard. The issue is that starlings additionally LOVE consuming suet.
A technique round that is to buy a suet feeder that forces birds to cling and feed the other way up. Woodpeckers don’t have any downside with this technique, however starlings don’t significantly take pleasure in consuming like this.
Birds Alternative Upside-Down Suet Feeder View $ on Amazon
My upside-down suet feeder has finished an ideal job stopping starlings from devouring all my suet. It’s really humorous to observe the starlings attempt to eat the suet, as they hop up and down, however can solely handle a chew at a time.
Lastly, only a warning that it might take a while for woodpeckers to find your upside-down suet feeder. And total, they undoubtedly don’t prefer it as a lot as my different suet feeders.
#3. Discourage starlings from nesting in your yard.
Starlings LOVE constructing nests round people. That’s as a result of these birds are cavity nesters and like utilizing vents and different small openings round your home to construct nests and lift their younger.
For instance, I reside in a suburban neighborhood and generally see starlings flying out and in of the vents situated on the edges of virtually each house.
Fortunately as a house owner, it’s straightforward to stop starlings from nesting in your vents. Merely seal any opening with a vent cowl. Many are made particularly to maintain birds out AND nonetheless perform usually. Listed here are two choices you’ll be able to take a look at:
As well as, in case you have any birdhouses or nest containers in your yard, it’s essential to continuously monitor them for starlings!
As cavity nesters, starlings are naturally interested in any nestbox in your yard. To maintain them away there are some things you are able to do.
- First, choose a nestbox that has a gap diameter of lower than 1.5 inches (3.8 cm). This gap measurement is just too small for starlings to suit by way of.
- In case your nest field is giant sufficient for starlings, then it’s going to take energetic administration in your behalf to make sure that they aren’t nesting inside. Throughout spring and summer time, my recommendation is to watch your containers every day and take away starling nests and eggs as quickly as you see them. (Since European Starlings are invasive and never native to North America, they don’t seem to be protected by The Migratory Chook Treaty Act, which suggests humane destruction of nests and eggs is allowed.)
Many starlings desire utilizing the identical nesting location 12 months after 12 months, so it’s very important to ensure they by no means begin utilizing your birdhouses!
Tip #4: Distract starlings utilizing a lot of CHEAP meals!
That is one among my favourite methods to regulate European Starlings, and it runs counter-intuitive to what you may suppose. We’re going to feed them as a lot as they will eat, however we’re going to resolve WHERE it’ll occur!
Here’s what it’s essential to do:
Supply MASSIVE quantities of cracked corn positioned no less than 15 ft away (4.5m) out of your different fowl feeders.
Starlings LOVE consuming cracked corn (and different grains). And by chance, cracked corn is without doubt one of the least expensive fowl meals you should buy by weight.
Subsequent, I fill a big fowl feeder with low cost cracked corn. Then I hold this feeder away from my different feeders which have the costlier meals that I don’t need the starlings to eat. I additionally make certain to place loads of meals on the bottom since starlings eat right here too.
Be taught extra concerning the LIVE streaming cams in my yard HERE!
I’m sorry if the above image is tough to see, however I needed to indicate my feeders stuffed with cracked corn positioned behind and away from my different feeders.
This technique has helped maintain a number of the starlings away from my most important feeding station, which lets different birds benefit from the sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet in a little bit of peace.
Remaining ideas about stopping starlings:
If you wish to forestall starlings and cease them from coming to your fowl feeders, I’ve discovered that these 4 efficient methods work:
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Supply meals that starlings don’t eat.
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Use starling-proof fowl feeders.
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Eradicate potential starling nest places.
- Distract starlings with a second feeding station.
When you’ve got an enormous starling downside in your yard, it might be finest to mix methods (that’s what I do)!
