Red-winged Starlings are common, but also intelligent, making it slightly harder to catch than many other common passerines.
Having a very narrow garden, these starlings do not come down in our garden although being very common in the area. During winter, they feed on syringa berries in a neighboring garden [report], and some fly to our oak tree to feed on these berries. Placing spring traps below the oak tree has never caught a starling. Then I tried placing a spring trap on our roof under the oak tree. Three were quickly caught on 2 days! Now the syringa berries are gone and I need to wait for next winter!
Fact sheet:
Number ringed to date (SAFRING): 3597 [1948-2024]
Longevity: 18y 11m 26d
Trip report: n/a; syringa feeding
Reason special: unusual trapping sites
