Starlings: The Curious Odyssey of a Most Hated Bird

“Starlings is a smart, entertaining parable about human foolishness, avian ingenuity, and the unintended consequences of ecological meddling. With wit and verve, Mike Stark tells the epic story of the plucky starling—a bird that enchanted Mozart, exasperated farmers, and ultimately conquered America.”—Ben Goldfarb, author of Crossings and Eager “Americans have been bewitched, befuddled, and enraged by European starlings for more than a century, and the country’s least-loved nonnative bird couldn’t ask for a better chronicler than Mike Stark. Balanced, whimsical, and deeply researched, Starlings tells the story of how they became the bird we love to hate, and in doing so illuminates our own contradictory human nature.”—Melissa L. Sevigny, author of Brave the Wild River “In Starlings Mike Stark peels back 150 years of myth and misunderstanding to reveal a fascinating story about human folly, animal smarts, and the value of life on Earth. You’ll never look at a starling the same way again.”—Michelle Nijhuis, author of Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction