In 1890-1892, about 100 starlings were released in New York City's Central

Starling by Sam Crow

Park as part of an effort by the acclimatization society to introduce all birds mentioned in Shakespeare's writings to North America.

Starlings are now one of the most numerous birds in North America. There are more than 200 million starlings across most of the continent.

These birds compete with many native species especially birds that nest in cavities (holes in trees, on the side of a cliff, or in birdhouses).

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Starlings aggressively "throw out" nesting pairs of other species from their nests. They often destroy eggs and kill nestlings of many native species, including woodpeckers, Tree Swallows, Eastern Bluebirds, and Purple Martins. The populations of many of these and other native cavity-nesting species have declined