The term “European Starling” is a misnomer; the birds are currently found worldwide. However, the name was not always an incorrect designation; humans, not Mother Nature, moved these birds from their native Eurasia. In 1890 and 1891, fifty pairs of European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were released in New York City. Several pairs reproduced, resulting in approximately 200 million of their descendants now living in North America. Although the man who released the birds in honor of Shakespeare could never have predicted the drastic population growth, this release marked the beginning of the non-native birds’ future as a detrimental invasive species. From coast to coast, European Starlings are now ubiquitous: in farms transmitting diseases to …show more content…
S. vulgaris are known as opportunistic feeders -- they eat whatever is available, but favor fruit crops. In 1992, starlings were one of the major bird species to damage a minimum of $4.4 million worth of grapes in the United States.(Linz, Homan, Gaulker, Penry, & Bleier, 2007) In order to reduce crop consumption, the United States Department of Agriculture has been conducting studies to test the efficacy of various deterrents placed on crops and pellets. These deterrents took advantage of the starlings’ lack of sucrase, an enzyme that is needed to break down sucrose. Adding anthraquinone-based repellents to sweet corn and blueberry among other foods was indicated to have been increasingly effective at repellency as the dosages increased.(Tupper, et al., 2014) European Starlings are voracious consumers of all crops, but additives may provide a method to reduce loss of developing …show more content…
Wintering flocks of starlings -- which can reach hundreds of thousands of birds in size -- have been known to roost in urban areas for warmth. These large groups are very noisy and messy; a roost in Omaha cost the city $200,000 in cleanup and reduction of the population. Furthermore, starlings are unwelcome because their corrosive droppings deteriorate infrastructure.(Linz, Homan, Gaulker, Penry, & Bleier, 2007) As mentioned previously, European Starlings can transmit a plethora of illnesses, so people prefer to limit interaction with the species. Wild bird feeding is a common practice throughout the United States. Although these birds are usually not the target audience, the free food increases starling populations and attracts them to reside nearby.(Galbraith, Beggs, Jones, & Stanley, 2015) Additionally, European Starling flocks are dangerous near populated areas because they interfere with aircraft. One notable incident occurred in 1960 when starlings collided with an airplane engine in Boston, killing 62 people.(Linz, Homan, Gaulker, Penry, & Bleier, 2007) European Starlings have easily adapted to living with humans; however, humans cannot seem to adapt to these bothersome
The sabertooth cat, also known by its scientific name Smilodon Fatalis, is considered a true form fossil. A fossil is considered a true form fossil when scientists recover fossils of the actual animal or animal part. These bones were oftentimes subjected to physical processes while still on the surface. These processes include heat, cold, wind and rain.
The red-cockaded woodpecker, an inhabitant of mature pine forests and pine-grassland ecosystems from Maryland to eastern Texas, has had a troubled history within the last decade (Roise et al, 1990). Ten years ago, James documented a population decline in America’s largest remaining red-cockaded woodpecker population (1991). Of the 2,157 clusters, or living groups, contained in national forests, 693 of them were located in Florid...
Every day many species are slowly becoming either endangered or extinct and recently an endangered bird species called piping plovers, started nesting on Revere Beach. What would seem as a miraculous discovery, many are averse to their new inhabitants on the beach. Many Revere residents are complaining because the piping plovers now occupy parts of “their” beach. But in the article “Revere Beach should welcome the piping plover” The Editorial Board believes that the presence of the piping plover could be greatly beneficial to the city of Revere and I certainly agree. What led me to select this particular article is my concern for the many endangered species in the world like the piping plover. Human hands have led many species to become endangered
Rachel Carson’s seminal 1962 book, Silent Spring, told the real-life story of how bird populations across the country were suffering as a result of the widespread application of the synthetic pesticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), which was being used widely to control mosquitoes and others insects. Carson reported that birds ingesting DDT tended to lay thin-shelled eggs which would in turn break prematurely in the nest, resulting in marked population declines. The problem drove bald eagles, our national symbol, not to mention peregrine falcons and other bird populations, to the brink of extinction, with populations plummeting more than 80 percent (Mildred, 2012).
The Common Starling, otherwise known as Sturnus Vulgaris or European Starling, is a medium sized songbird that is a member of the Sturnidae bird family. These birds are known to mimic sounds from other species and can even mimic human speech when held in captivity. They are very stout in their build and have short tails. They change color depending on the season, such as purple-green feathers in the summer and brown feathers with white spots in the winter.
Ruby-crowned kinglets play a role in our ecosystem by helping to control pest population and eating insects. Many of the insects they eat are considered pests to humans (9). They also eat casebearers an invasive insect species, which may be harmful to certain plants. There are no
Within a day, George Starling made a decision to leave upon being threatened of being lynched as soon as he arrived to Penn Station( During this time period African Americans had to respect the law of "equal but separate" which was designed to give cars for blacks and whites.This was later to be known as a scheme to make it unfair for African Americans.With this law being in affect African Americans received No public accommodations. This accommodation included railway travel, and to ensure that no African Americans have an equal facilities as caucasian people would have.Another law was the Louisiana law which made it impossible for blacks to sit in coach seats reserved which was later discovered to be reserved by caucasian people, but on the conchair
...al poisons for emphasis, the pun of the falling fell birds, the idiomatic juxtaposition of the lives of birds and the prosperity of crops in this cumulative (or loose) rhetorical question, all rhetorically causing the reader to support Carson and ponder deeply on the question: Who is responsible for this trend of using these poisons? Carson vaguely answers that it is the “authoritarian temporarily entrusted with power.” The farmer seems to fit, however not all farmers, as that would be a hasty generalization. But more importantly, why weren’t more environmentally-friendly alternatives being used? Carson has logically addressed the alternative of corn with deep set ears not accessible to the birds, and surely there is one for every situation. “Silent Spring” was published in 1962, so this provokes another question: How has this problem been addressed since then?
Two key scientists in “de-extinction”, Stewart Brand and George Church, hosted a symposium at Harvard Medical School called “Bringing Back the Passenger Pigeon” in February 2012. At this symposium, Church demonstrated his...
In 1996, the Asian Longhorn Beetle made its way into the New York and New Jersey creating the decimation of the forests. The Asian Longhorn Beetle has so far caused the cutting of over 10,000 trees in New Jersey, and quarantine of 109 miles in New York today . The spread of this foreign beetle has created great impacts on the environment. The Asian Longhorn Beetle is an invasive specie, a harmful specie from another locations, mainly other countries, that has ended up in a foreign habitat. As time has progressed, invasive species have continued to come into our environment more frequently creating many unforeseen consequences. The relationship of invasive species within the United States’ environment and ecosystem has been changing ever since the arrival of the Europeans in the 1700s to present day. Due to these encounters with other species whether harmful or neutral, the majority, if not all, of the United States has been affected with the threatening encroachment of native species due to the industrialization of waterways and transportation.
In the past hundred years, the human race has expanded almost everything in the United States of America, such as our agriculture practices, the size of our cities, and the sheer amount of expansion in business and it has affected one group of animals in particular, waterfowl. Due to these advancements, the human race has caused the climate to change, and according to an research by Jennifer Reilly “Climate change is an global problem that affects all species of waterfowl and the wetlands they inhabit” (Reilly 2017). Humans have impacted the life of waterfowl in such extreme levels of magnitude, that humans have almost become part of waterfowls life. Cites have become almost refuges for geese as mentioned in the study titled Survival
LaJeunesse, S.. Common crop pesticides kill honeybee larvae in the hive. Penn State | News. 27 January 2014.
Why are there more frequent bird and wildlife strikes today? There are a number of reasons why. The FAA mentions three of those reasons. One reason is of the advancement of aircraft the change from piston powered to jet powered. Engines that were piston powered were noisy and frightening causing birds and wildlife to run away from aircraft but wi...
Invasive species, (also known as invasive alien species or simply alien species) are defined as any organism (plant, animal, pathogen, or other living thing) that is alien (non-native) to an ecosystem, which can cause adverse economical, ecological, or health effects to native species and/or humans. The roots of these problems all stem from the massive negative ecological impact these organisms are having on the environment (CBD, 2009). For all animal extinctions where the cause is known since the 1600’s, invasive alien species have been a contributing factor 40% of the time (CBD, 2006); the second most contributing factor to extinctions after loss of habitat (GC, 2013). By eliminating native species through competition for resources, predation, and transmittal of disease, invasive species continue to reduce biodiversity in almost all ecosystems around the world (CBD, 2009). In the future, this problem may worsen, and if no action is taken, could lead to a cascading ecological problem so large that whole communities or even ecosystems could collapse.
Birds have direct and indirect economic and cultural values for people. Birds are important for humans due to many reasons. Birds provide us food, medicine, fertilizers and also bring about pollinations. Birds are a part of the food chain. Birds also perform vital ecological role, besides their economical role. They are critical links within the vast food chains and webs that exist in the ecosystem. The economic importance of birds can be studied into two parts – A) Beneficial effect B) Harmful effect.