Short abstract from the book: The starling is a common breeding bird all over Denmark,
breeding in trees with nest holes or in nest boxes. It is a common passage migrant in October–November and March–
April. In Denmark the first starling was ringed in 1899, with
most ringed in the 1960s and 1970s. The recovered birds were
ringed in most parts of Denmark, 58 % in the breeding season. Danish starlings are migrants. The first young birds leave
the breeding site by the end of May and early June. Many
young and adult birds perform a movement away from the
breeding site already in June–July. The mean direction of this
movement is SW. By the end of October many birds have left
Denmark, with the mean position in the Netherlands. Most
birds migrate along the coast of the North Sea. During winter
most Danish starlings have been recovered in the British Isles
(60 %), the Netherlands (10 %), Belgium (6 %) and France
(7 %). A few Danish birds have been recovered as far south
as southern Spain. Some starlings return to the breeding sites
in January–February, but most arrive in March. Many birds
return to the same nest box year after year. A few Danish birds
have been recovered in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Poland
in the breeding season. The recoveries show that the visitors passing Denmark come from Sweden, Norway, Finland, the
Baltic countries and western Russia. Visitors from Sweden
have been recovered in eastern Denmark in late June, with
the number culminating in July. Most of these early visitors
are young birds. Most Norwegian and Swedish birds have
departed from Denmark in October, but more Finnish birds
seem stay throughout the winter. Most visitors depart from
Denmark in April.
The main cause of death is shooting/hunting. Most have
been shot in Denmark (48 %), Britain (15 %), Belgium
(14 %), France (6 %) and Germany (6 %).
Read more about the species in the chapter from The Danish Bird Migration Atlashere
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