starling

noun

star·ling | \ˈstär-liŋ

Definition of starling

: any of a family (Sturnidae, especially genus Sturnus) of usually dark gregarious oscine birds especially : a dark brown or in summer glossy greenish-black European bird (S. vulgaris) naturalized nearly worldwide and often considered a pest

Examples of starling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hello starlings and welcome back to another edition of This Week in Timothée Chalamet. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "This Week in Timothée Chalamet, October 19 Edition," 19 Oct. 2018 But its declining numbers have a more sinister cause: European starlings and, especially, house sparrows. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "The feathers are flying in the battle between bluebirds and their killers," 2 May 2018 Tomaselli's haunting, complex images—of majestic ravens and starlings, tangles of snakes, sparkly constellations made up of flowers and butterflies—have all the mind-expanding power of a hallucinogenic trip without any of the side effects. — Peter Terzian, ELLE Decor, "Pills and Thrills," 1 Nov. 2010 This is why people like Johnson despise the house sparrow, which, like the starling, was introduced from England. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "The feathers are flying in the battle between bluebirds and their killers," 2 May 2018 Bouchaine Vineyards in the Carneros region of California’s Napa Valley started using falconers in 2016 to keep other birds — like starlings and migratory species— from eating their grapes. — Washington Post, "Tourists experience the ancient sport of falconry," 11 June 2018 There’s a fluttering kinship between them, like starlings or Aspen trees. — Maggie Lange, The Cut, "Some Thoughts on the Tassel Earring," 28 June 2018 From the publisher: 'Designed for More' draws groundbreaking implications for how to achieve unity and collective movement through new research on a jaw-dropping phenomenon of flocking starlings known as a murmuration. — Lucas Ramirez, Fox News, "'Designed for More' by Lucas Ramirez," 24 June 2018 Bird TLC, which has two full-time and one part-time staff members and a roster of 65 volunteers, is permitted to care for any bird in Alaska except pigeons and starlings, both deemed invasive by state officials. — Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News, "Spreading their wings: Bird TLC is getting a home of its own," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'starling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.