My Best Nest: A Purple Martin Story
Martin enemy number 1: The Starling
 
Purple Martin NestlingsEnemy #1: StarlingEnemy #2: House SparrowMartin HooligansFeeding time!Bird features"My Best Nest," the bookA tale of beginningsBibliographyUseful linksActivities for kidsStudent ExercisesFor librariansAuthor and contributorsBuy the book
The arch enemy of Purple Martins, a male European Starling. This male is claiming a martin house for his own. One bird will often claim an entire martin apartment house. With his big sharp yellow beak he can seriously injure any martin that dares to oppose him. The European Starling was introduced to New York's Central Park by someone who thought that all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare should be found in the park.

Male European Starling displaying
Copyright Joe Dellinger 2008