european starling
grrlscientist | October 25, 2008tags: Weewoo The Talking Starling, Sturnis vulgaris, birds, behavior, pets, streaming video
Mozart had a pet starling whom he thought of as his musical companion. When his bird died, he had a funeral for him and invited his friends. This video should give you an appreciation for how talented these birds are as mimics [3:15]
grrlscientist | October 24, 2008tags: Damar The Talking Starling, Sturnis vulgaris, birds, behavior, pets, ornithology, streaming video
A friend of mine in California who handfeeds European starling chicks and then sells them as pets, refers to them as "the poor man's mynah bird." This video should give you an appreciation for how talented these birds are as mimics [3:27]
grrlscientist | February 27, 2008tags: researchblogging.org, endocrine disruptors, environmental pollutants, DDT metabolites, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, birdsong, physiology, behavior
European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris.
Image: Gerd Rossen [larger view].
An elegant but disturbing paper was just published that documents that biologically relevant concentrations of endocrine disrupting pollutants are affecting the quality and quantity of song produced by male songbirds, which in turn, influences female mate choice. According to the research team, not only do these pollutants influence behavior, but they also affect…