My Pet Bird
Meet Clarice, my European Starling who was hatched around June 10, 2010. She came into my life after having already had a juvenile starling the summer before who ended up dying. Somebody had found Clarice and her sibling only a day old in the road after a storm and took them both in. Not being able to take care of both of them, I happily took her in and raised her, spoiling her and giving her the best life a bird could ask for.
What Makes My Bird Special
Most people hate starlings due to their bad reputations in the wild. Most people only know them as those black spotted birds invading their back yards and making nests in their house walls.
I've had the amazing experience of being able to see them for what they really are. A fun loving, bratty, lovable, friendly bird. Clarice is no exception!
She's the world's biggest spoiled brat, getting new toys and treats if I'm gone for too long and getting free roam of my room if I'm gone for a while (along with my cockatiel who she just loves). She plays with bird toys like any other bird, gets hours of out time every day, gets her baths in her special bath bowl daily, eats her special starling diet, and had been hand fed till she was 3 months old (they're self feeding at 1 month in the wild)
Not many people have starlings or know the joy of having one of these little miracles. I bet a lot of you didn't even know they can learn to talk and can use certain words and phrases at appropriate times. Clarice is currently learning to talk but so far we can wolf whistle, caddy call, mimic the cockatiel, and do the beginning of StarWars Imperial March.
She also loves singing to music and even has a favorite song.
Huge personality in such a tiny creature.
Advice
- Starlings aren't birds you can buy, you have to let one find YOU. If you see one on the ground, try to get it back to a nest. If it's a fledgling, put it under a nearby bush or somewhere safe close by so the parents can keep caring for it. THEY WILL NOT ABANDON IT IF YOU TOUCH IT!!! Fledgling's fall out while learning to fly. It's very common to find one and think it needs care.
- If it's not a fledgling and there's no way to get it back to it's nest, make sure to look up what to feed it and how to care for it (www.starlingtalk.com has everything you need to know to care for a starling)
