Why do people shoot Crows but not Starlings?

[albanian]

Crows are a native species and unless they are becomming a pest, why kill them? They fit into a niche in the ecosystem that Starlings don't. Starlings were imported from England and have since become a HUGE problem almost everywhere. They crap over everything and spread disease and are helping to make our native song birds vanish. They can break tree branches when they roost in the thousands and in general are not supposed to be here.

Why do people shoot Crow when they can shoot Starlings and actually be helping the evironment? Why shoot a native bird and let a pest like the Starling go free? I don't think there is ANY sort of permit required to shoot Starlings and I belive you can shoot them year round. It is pest control and not looked at as hunting by the DNR. There are no bag limits and they are just as fun to shoot as Crow.

I used to shoot Starlings whenever I had the chance around my house. I would shoot every Starling and English House Sparrow I saw. In time, I did notice a change in the birds that were in my back yard. I saw more native song birds because there were less sparrows and starlings. Pretty soon, I started seeing Cow birds and Cat birds which I had never seen around my house before. I also started seeing more song birds like native sparrows and finches.

My advice is to take advantage of the open hunting season on Starlings and keep you practice up by shooting them when nothing else is in season. I used to shoot them with everything from a pellet pistol to a 12ga.

 

[Jim Watson]

I agree.
If I were situated where I could, I'd mow them down.

I would also shoot the cowbirds. They may be native but they are parasites who expand at the expense of songbirds and are getting worse as woodlands are cut up into smaller patches.

 

[Skoghund]

So thats where all our English Starlings have gone. You just don't see those big flocks in the autumn any more like when i was young.
Remember reading years ago, i think it was in Denmark that the Starling were causeing so much damage to the woodland where they had there night time roost that the army went in and layed small explosive charges and blew them up.
They do make good targets for the shot gun as well.

 

[MCgunner]

My old Benjamin has taken a few of 'em from the eaves of the barn.

 

[hillbilly]

The main reason I don't shoot starlings is because starlings don't come in swirling, sqawking flocks when I put out a plastic owl and play a tape of crows and owls fighting.

If they came to that set up like the crows do, I'd shoot starlings, too.

Also, I live out in the woods, and interestingly enough, I can't recall seeing a single starling out here. The starlings seem to stay in the cities for the most part.

hillbilly

 

[Oldnamvet]

It is interesting that in England, the starling population is supposedly way down worrying some environmentalists. Maybe we should trap a few million, flyover, and let them go. We would all be more happy.

 

[bucktail]

I do shoot starlings (called grackles here). I also break the eggs in their nests if I find them in my back yard. I suppose that people who like to call shoot the crows. I don't shoot them unless I am calling varmints and am about to leave a stand. They can be damaging to corn and other crops if flocks get big enough, but were less of a factor than deer and coons where I grew up.

 

[Art Eatman]

I'm with hillbilly: I rarely see starlings/grackles outside of towns. I guess it's because there are more parked cars for them to poop on and ruin the paint.

Art

 

[.45Guy]

We used to slaughter them both. Both crows and starlings did a great deal of crop damage. Crows will literally walk right down a row of newly germinated sweet corn going to town. Starlings would show up in huge flocks during berry season. They're both pests, and faced the same fate on the old Gerlica farm.

 

[learn2shoot]

Turkeys

From what I remember Crows and Turkey's don't get along. If you have too many crows it limits your Turkey hunting. But... I am not a Turkey hunter (I have tried but didn't see a turkey).

 

[JohnKSa]

There are actually a good number of people who shoot starlings. A lot of airgunners consider them to be the target of preference.

I've definitely shot a lot of starlings, and only two crows. Given the choice of a starling and a crow side-by-side, I'd shoot the starling.

 

[trapperjohn]

I shoot every starling i get a chance to, english sparrows as well. But now that i leve away from town i see neither.
It's interesting how they got here. in the 1800s a bunch of literary types thought that the USA needed to have every bird species mentioned in shakespears work. Therefore they released a bunch of sparrows and starlings in cetnral park. the rest is history.

I do shoot starlings (called grackles here).

Starlings and grackles are 2 very distinct species. the only thing they have in comman apperance wise is that they both tend to be black.

 

[JohnKSa]

The more pertinent difference between grackles and starlings is that grackles are protected.

What most people refer to generically as blackbirds are really several different species of birds which often flock together.

Grackles (several varieties often--even usually--seen together. These varieties range from almost as big as a crow with a "boat" shaped tail to scarcely larger than a starling.)
Brewer's blackbirds. (These look very much like some of the smaller grackle species.)
Cowbirds (medium-sized brown or black bird about the same size as a starling but lighter in the body. NOT egrets--egrets are large white birds commonly found browsing for insects near grazing cattle--and are improperly callled cowbirds in some areas)
Starlings
Red and Yellow Winged blackbirds (Easily distinguished by the flash of yellow or red on the wings and also not terribly likely to be found flocking with the above birds.)

Some of these species are protected, others are not. It's worthwhile to learn the difference if you frequently shoot pest blackbirds.

 

[MNgoldenbear]

The starlings have a yellow bill and a tail that looks extremely short in proportion to their bodies. And, yeah, I leave the crows alone (good scavengers) and shoot the starlings when I have the opportunity. Good point from JohnKSa -- you should ALWAYS know what you're killing.

 

[12-34hom]

Corvus.

In Iowa, crow hunting is regulated - split seasons.

I've hunter crow for several years. I consider it a "riflemans target" One shot is all ya get - they are very wary - excellent eyesight - and stalking them is a challenge in open country.

Normally, while hunting fox & yoties - they offer an alternative type of shot and at long ranges.

12-34hom.

 

[eastwood44mag]

I hate them all, and can't hit any of them.:banghead:

 

[Greybeard]

Quote: "The more pertinent difference between grackles and starlings is that grackles are protected."

JohnK - I'm usually on the same page with ya, but must differ on this one. 2006--2007 TX Outdoor Annual (page 72) places both "European starlings" and "all grackels" under "Unprotected Birds" heading.

But, more on topic, myself, given the choice of a crow or a grackel side by side, I'd want a shotgun to fold 'em both!

 

[Snake Eyes]

When I'm home, in God's Country, on Whidbey Island, in Western Washington, the only thing I'll shoot faster than a Starling is a rat bastard Racoon.

Here in Devil's Country, AZ, we don't see a lot of Starlings, and the Phoenix PD takes a dim view of taking critters with a 410 off the balcony of your urban apartment.

Go figure.

 

[JohnKSa]

Greybeard,

They're both in the unprotected birds section, but while the Starlings, English sparrows and Rock doves are completely unprotected, there's a caveat that goes with the grackles and the other blackbirds.

They must be "committing or about to commit depredations on ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, wildlife, or when concentrated in numbers andin a manner that constitutes a health hazard or other nuisance". I've heard at least one game warden quoted as saying that "Every grackle I've ever seen fits that description."

There's one more catch--this is the big one. Regardless of state law, four of the grackle species are still federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. As are most blackbirds and cowbird species.

http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/intrnltr/mbta/mbtandx.html

 

[LAK]

I dispatched a great number of starlings while living in europa. They made challenging targets at longer ranges with air rifles.

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http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org

 

[Greybeard]

JohnK -

An interesting fed link there. ' guess some the professional exterminators I've had in hunter ed. classes didn't know of that one either. Or had talked with Texas Game Wardens with the same posture as you mentioned.

 

[El Tejon]

Bought my first high quality luftgewehr (Beeman C1) as a young teenager specifically to kill starlings.

I have found memories of stalking my father's grape arbors and the apple orchard dealing death to all starlings. They are critters, they need to be shot.

 

[roo_ster]

'Round here we have grackles galore. Thye tear up the bird feeders & crap over everything.

My neighbor finally had enough & asked for my air pistol (an old Walther Luftpistole). We wanted it to be quiet & near-silent. Unfortunately, the Walther was so underpowered, it required a head shot to reliably kill a male grackle. A chest shot would allow the male to fly off & then auger in about 20 yards away. A gut shot allowed a male to fly off out of sight. Females hit in the chest were DRT & gut shot females didn't go far.

Anybody have an idea for a quiet, powerful, & reasonably priced air pistol? Pumps need not apply...my neighbor has suffered a brain injury & a shoulder injury.

 

[boilingleadbath]

Air pistol?

You might look at what pyramidair.com has in stock - they have a HUGE selection, and (at least on the couple I've checked elsewhere) prices compareable to anywhere else on the web.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

I shoot every one I get the chance to. Farmers around here poison them by the thousands.