# Agent Starling



## Pidgey

Earlier this week, one of the shop guys brought me a lost baby starling. He called me "Dr. Doolittle" by the way. Well, Agent Starling's been growing like a weed (and an ugly one at that) and is now standing here on a paper towel beside me as I type this. The paper towel's for the poop that just appeared as if by magic. 

I gotta' say... these little guys just don't have the same appeal as pigeons. They just look kinda' grumpy in the face all the time. When they start out, they're like a life support system for a pair of HUGE yellow lips. Agent Starling's finally beginning to make a bird behind those lips, but... bless her heart, she's homely!

And hunger, what an appetite! I swear she poops more than Unie and eats a hundred times more often.

And loud, what a shrill shriek! If you think a 30 day old squab can make noise when Daddy shows up, you gotta' another thing comin'.

Pidgey


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## Skyeking

Hi Pidgey,

Sorry to hear the patient is such a pooper and loud and overbearing!!

Is that your first starling rescue?

Congratulations Dr. Doolittle!!!


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## Charis

I guarantee you will fall in love with this little Agent Starling. Your life will never be quite the same. I also guarantee this bird will turn into a beauty....and they are so smart.


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## Pidgey

Hi, Treesa,

It's the Oklahoma way to make the best of a bad situation so I've been trying to get the little thing to shriek out "Pooper SooNER, Pooper, SOOner!" but no luck so far.

Many years ago I got a starling that had fallen some 30 feet from the nest and that one didn't live. It made it for a two or three days but then just got worse and worse that last day. This one seems to be doing alot better.

Pidgey


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## pigeonmama

Oh, Pidgey,
You don't know how blessed you are. Starlings are so much fun !! I've raised 2, and loved every minute of it. My friendliest starling, Squeegee, lived both inside and out. Little dickens would sit in his hideyhole, wait for someone to start walking toward the house, and then fly down and land on them. This was something we were all used to, but for those people who didn't know what to expect, Shades of Alfred Hitchcock, and you'd get quite a show, person running for the house and Squeegee hanging on for dear life.
Daryl
Pictures please.


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## naturegirl

Ha ha ha Pidgey you are so lucky, yes they have quit an appetite and man can they poop very large piles sometimes. I get about 20 every year come in to rehab. At 15 to 30 weeks old they begin talking. They can be such sweet birds. I also love their winter plumage such very pretty birds. Starling talk has a very good recipe and out in the wild when food is scarce they do eat seeds. They also love bugs lots of bugs. 

Cindy


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## mr squeaks

Well, well, well!! I don't think Pidgey could be blessed with a more FUN bird!!

For Agent Starling, however....well, we all have crosses to bear in this life. I'm sure Agent Starling will be up to the task!! Sounds like he/she is already trying to make life miserable for Pidgey...for which I heartly approve! YOU GO AGENT STARLING!!

I predict a wonderful relationship! Bet Lin will reap the benefits tho...

I'm sure Pidgey will be posting pictures and I, for one, will be watching this thread VERY closely!! Can't wait to hear updates!!!

Love and Hugs

Shi & Squeaks (who offers his sentiments to Agent Starling, but knows he/she will be up to the task of living with Pidgey!)


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## tms1950

*starlings*

I have raised literally hundreds of starlings in my rehab and done "soft release" with them when they were ready to go.Each and every one,just like the other wild birds,have separate and distinct personalities.I have two handicapped pet ones myself that I wouldn`t part with! One is very tame,will go to anyone,whistles two verses of "old MacDonald",says at least 20 words and puts them together to make his own sentences.I`ve owned valuable parrots in the past and "Tyler" is every bit as valuable as they were.Yup-he`s messy,but so are other pet birds.He`s worth it.
Teresa


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## Skyeking

Hi Teresa,

Thank you for sharing about the starlings, they sound like a lot of fun too!


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## Rooster2312

Awesome Pidgey! Starlings are one of my most favourite birds. They are so cute and I love their high pitched screams of joy when you put goodies out on the bird table for them  

Lindi


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## TAWhatley

Congrats on having a darling starling, Pidgey! I've got about 14 of them right now .. awesome birds .. obnoxious birds .. ornery birds .. stubborn birds .. pushy birds .. absolutely totally loveable little s**ts!  

Terry


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## Pidgey

TAWhatley said:


> Congrats on having a darling starling, Pidgey! I've got about 14 of them right now .. awesome birds .. obnoxious birds .. ornery birds .. stubborn birds .. pushy birds .. absolutely totally loveable *little s**ts!*
> 
> Terry


I heard _that._

Pidgey


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## mr squeaks

Glad to hear that Agent Starling is still livin' the good life(??) with Pidgey!

Have we missed pictures, Pidgey??

What does Lin think of Agent Starling??

Can't wait for more updates!

Hugs and Scritches to Agent Starling

_Shi & Squeaks_


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## Pidgey

Oh, I gotta' have some time to get around to it. Yes, Agent Starling is here at the office with me today, alive and well, annoying all the other employees and entering her "I-wanna'-see-everything-now!" phase. In a week, she'll be flying, no doubt.

Pidgey


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## Lovebirds

Sometimes when I talk to Mary Ann, I can hear her starlings in the background just talking away. You're gonna have to get a video too you know.


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## mr squeaks

How do you know that Agent Starling is a "she?"

Would you have to change "her" name to "Agent*a* Starling?"  

Be careful! I bet Agent Starling could _easily_ turn into the office "mascot!"

You could end up with people just stopping by to say HI, but in reality, to see Agent Starling!  

Hugs and Scritches as always

_Shi & Squeaks_


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## TheSnipes

Wait till she starts talking...


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## TheSnipes

mr squeaks said:


> How do you know that Agent Starling is a "she?"
> 
> Would you have to change "her" name to "Agent*a* Starling?"
> 
> 
> _Shi & Squeaks_



Agent Starling WAS a "she" (from Silence of the Lambs)


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## Charis

TheSnipes said:


> Agent Starling WAS a "she" (from Silence of the Lambs)



That's Right!


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## Margarret

Congratulations on your acquisition of a Starling. You're gonna love him/her. They are absolute clowns once they start flying. And they want to be with YOU. Watch what you say around the baby when it gets a bit bigger because they pick up sounds really easily and are great mimics. They also steal anything that isn't nailed down.

Margaret


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## mr squeaks

TheSnipes said:


> Agent Starling WAS a "she" (from Silence of the Lambs)



EEEEEEK!! I saw that movie!!

Mimic, eh? Oh, that's really rich!! I can just *hear* his/her vocabulary now...after being around Pidgey for awhile....first word? CRAP!    

I can't stop laughing....this thread is gonna be FUN!!!

Shi & Squeaks


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## Pidgey

mr squeaks said:


> EEEEEEK!! I saw that movie!!
> 
> Mimic, eh? Oh, that's really rich!! I can just *hear* his/her vocabulary now...after being around Pidgey for awhile....first word? CRAP!
> 
> I can't stop laughing....this thread is gonna be FUN!!!
> 
> Shi & Squeaks


Darn tootin'! I'm going to teach this bird to have a potty beak! 

Pidgey the Not-So-Pure


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## mr squeaks

Pidgey said:


> Darn tootin'! I'm going to teach this bird to have a potty beak!
> 
> Pidgey the Not-So-Pure


Figures...I am not surprised!

You DO realize that we want to HEAR and see a video how a lovely bird can be corrupted!  

Mmmm, wonder what Lin thinks??? Bet she might not have the same opinion!  

Sending HUGS and SCRITCHES to Agent Starling, who sounds like he/she is gonna need all Squeaks and I can send!!

_Squeaks & Shi_


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## Feather

I haven't had that blessing yet. But I will be looking forward to the experience of knowing my first one through Agent Starling. I can't wait until she is old enough to join Scorpio Power, The SPPs, and I in saving the world.


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## mr squeaks

Feather said:


> I haven't had that blessing yet. But I will be looking forward to the experience of knowing my first one through Agent Starling. I can't wait until she is old enough to join Scorpio Power, The SPPs, and I in saving the world.


Yes...and the most powerful vocabulary of ALL the SPPs...I see some classes ahead!   

Hugs and Scritches

_Shi & 
Squeaks_(who says he's never too old to learn some new things!)


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## Pidgey

Well, while she's certainly got a lot of energy, she's been a bit off today so I ran lab--Coccidiosis. Going to have to start treatment.

Pidgey


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## Feather

_Shi & 
Squeaks_(who says he's never too old to learn some new things!)[/QUOTE]

Are you speaking of Pidgey?


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## tms1950

*starlings*

Oh yeah,you have to watch what you say around a talking starling."Tyler" heard me say a cuss word one day after being bit by a bird I had just got in,so guess what his favorite word was that day?!!! I didn`t acknowledge him,or respond because a lot of children come in here and hold him.He hasn`t said it since.He does say "OUCH,OUCH!!" sometimes when I get a new bird in and examine it because he`s heard me say it so many times,but he really floored me one day when he followed it up with "Are you ok?". I used to ask him that a lot when he was a baby and had so many problems.He has scoliosis of the spine and doesn`t fly well on his own,but he loves me to position him in my hand and "fly" him around,beating his wings till he`s winded. He`s a bird that shouldn`t have survived when he came to me as a starved,dehydrated,crippled nestling,but he has a lot of heart and educates a lot of people about how smart his species is.Children love him.


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## mr squeaks

Tyler sounds like quite the bird, tms! May he live long and prosper!!

Pidgey, I hope Agent Starling will respond well to the medication! This bird MUST survive! So much potential!

Squeaks and I send our BEST healing thoughts for a full recovery!!

Feather: Squeaks was referring to himself...Pidgey _always_ has something to say...new or otherwise!   

Love, Hugs and Scritches

_Shi & Squeaks_


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## Margarret

Pidgey said:


> Well, while she's certainly got a lot of energy, she's been a bit off today so I ran lab--Coccidiosis. Going to have to start treatment.
> 
> Pidgey


Ackkk, glad you caught it Pidgey.

Margaret


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## maryjane

LOL what a great thread! Congrats on Agent Starling, I am sure you will have a good time with her. I've heard many funny stories about starlings and got to some babies a few years ago who were being rehabbed by a friend of mine. All yellow lips, that was them!!  Tyler sounds like a real sweetie. We want videos from both of you!!


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## Pidgey

Okay, appetite's back and the scooper's falling behind the pooper!

We got a heartbeat, here...

More later,

Pidgey


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## tms1950

Agent Starling will want toys!! Tyler`s favorites are bells.He rings them all day long(and imitates them too) when he isn`t singing or listening to his country music(loves it!). Teresa


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## Feather

I love her name! That is very clever. Like everyone else, I am waiting for pictures.


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## mr squeaks

GREAT news, Pidgey!!

Yeah, BELLs...to drive Pidgey nuts! Agent Starling we are counting on you to "introduce" Pidgey to a whole new world!!     

Hugs

Shi & Squeaks


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## Charis

My Starling loved the song..."Sittin at the dock on the Bay" and she could whistle the chorus perfectly. I've come to understand that song, in particular, is a favorite of Starlings. 
She also imitated the drip of the coffee maker, the ring of the telephone, the sound of a Fire engine, my voice answering the phone, the door bell, the dog barking... At night, just before she went to sleep, she made all those sounds, one right after the other into a Starling gibberish. It was so funny.

I met another house Starling named Cedric. He was quite the charmer. His human companions loved him dearly and made one of their bedrooms into an aviary. On the outside wall, was a bird door that allowed Cedric access to a large outside flight. By the time I met them, they had other Starlings too and they had created a perfect place for them. On this particular day, I heard a loud noise from the outside aviary...kind of like something fell. I said...who made that noise? In response Cedric screamed...Cedric do! It was so cute and funny. What a little clown.


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## Margarret

Uh oh, I'm going to have to start singing that to Spreckles. He whistles Yankee Doodle, the cell phone ring, fire engine, parakeet whistle, cockatiel sounds, says I'm a good boy, It's OK, Whatcha doin, and a whole bunch of made up or strung together sounds. Our neighbors just got a bunch of chickens and I'm expecting he will imitate the rooster sooner or later as he can hear them quite well from where he is. Right now he is focused on a nest he has built behind the cockatiel cages. He has it stuffed with papers and all the stuff he has stolen. Probably my missing earrings are in there.

Margaret


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## Charis

Margarret said:


> Uh oh, I'm going to have to start singing that to Spreckles. He whistles Yankee Doodle, the cell phone ring, fire engine, parakeet whistle, cockatiel sounds, says I'm a good boy, It's OK, Whatcha doin, and a whole bunch of made up or strung together sounds. Our neighbors just got a bunch of chickens and I'm expecting he will imitate the rooster sooner or later as he can hear them quite well from where he is. Right now he is focused on a nest he has built behind the cockatiel cages. He has it stuffed with papers and all the stuff he has stolen. Probably my missing earrings are in there.
> 
> Margaret


Yes. I'll bet there are all sorts of things in that nest that you never would have dreamed...


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## mr squeaks

This thread just keeps getting funnier and funnier!

Those Starlings sure sound like a RIOT! WHAT FUN!!

Thanks to all the members posting about their Starling experience and their friends!!

Hugs and Scritches

Shi & Squeaks


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## Whitefeather

Feather said:


> I love her name! That is very clever. Like everyone else, *I am waiting for pictures*.


Yes, Pidgey, where *are* the pictures???


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## Pidgey

Okay, but they're not much:



Pidgey


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## Whitefeather

The pictures are wonderful.
Many thanks for posting them, Pidgey.  
Agent Starling is adorable.

The best to both of you.  

Cindy

Love this picture.
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2943661910073664377ZDxsEu


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## mr squeaks

If a male, the first name I thought of was Mick, after Mick Jagger! 

But Agent Starling will do just fine!

Those pictures are just great! He/She is soooooo cute! Can't wait for the first words!!  

Hugs and Scritches

Shi & Squeaks


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## Charis

Pretty darn cute!


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## tms1950

Tyler didn`t start talking till he was about 6-7 months old. You have to have a bird bath for starlings,they LOVE to bathe so much.Also when their beak starts getting too long and their nails also,you have to trim them & file to shape.They hate it,but it has to be done. I learned one thing about those outdoor heaters for bird baths:if the temperature outside is 10 degrees or less,the starlings will still take a bath in it. Last year 3 starlings did that and when I noticed they were trying to hide over or under bushes,I also noticed their feathers had frozen into chunks ,leaving them vulnerable to hypothermia and predators because they were unable to fly or dry off. I managed to rescue two of them,but a hawk had gotten the third,poor thing.I brought the two in for the night to thaw out,gave them lots of good food and they were ready to leave the next morning.They didn`t even thank me-lol! So now,when the temps go that low,I unplug the heater.


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## Feather

Oh what a special little creature. I see what you mean about the yellow lips.

I guess that is the most important part right now. That...and the other end.
Thanks Pidgey! Raising this little buger is going to be interesting.


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## Lovebirds

Well, this thread is a riot, that's for sure. Agent Starling is just adorable and I bet Pidgey is absolutely in love with the little creature. How could anyone not be? Sure is a cutie pie. Can't wait for future updates............as there will be many I'm sure.........


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## Charis

Wait til the bird get older...mine used to love to eat off my plate at dinner time. I had a standing order with Grubco for 2000 meal worms a month. It's amazing how many meals worms one little Starling can consume.


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## amoonswirl

Oh, my! Agent Starling has the biggest, yellowest mouth I have ever seen!!! How cute!

Can't wait til she starts talking. Someday I would love to have a Starling. They are quite pretty in their own way, and from what I hear they are very entertaining. But for now I will live vicariously through reading this thread...

Pidgey - you take your birds to the office? Wish I could get away with that, lol.


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## Pidgey

amoonswirl said:


> Pidgey - you take your birds to the office? Wish I could get away with that, lol.


It's good to be The King.

Baron von Pidgey


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## Feather

Crown the man!


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## Maggie-NC

How in the world I have missed this thread......

Pidgey, congratulations. You can now see how great starlings are and they are truly great little birds. As babies, when they open that little flower mouth and want food - well, there is nothing quite as sweet. They were the first songbirds we got to care for because our rehabber friend said they were about the easiest too.

The nice thing about feeding songbirds is that they gape for you and you can easily see their crop in the side of their neck and keep check on how full it is. The bad thing is that whatever goes in must come out and what a mess. Agent starling is past the encapsulated poop age so what she does is messy and a lot of it. You just wait until she really starts eating and flying. They can trash a cage within minutes. They love baths and sling water everywhere.

She might enjoy some Gerber #2 baby chicken food. We used a 1 cc syringe and popped 4-5 in them at each feeding along with the soaked food and plenty of fruit. Be sure and give her some blueberries - you'll have some dandy purple blotches wherever she goes. 

I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PAPA PIDGEY.


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## Pidgey

Oh, Agent Starling's figured it out already and seems spoiled rotten but it was Lin what done it, not me. She's laying down in the cloth and only comes up now to flap or eat. She just lays there on her side kinda' like a pigeon nestling and looks up at you with that "whadda' YOU lookin' at, buddy?" expression.

And when she's in your hand? Might as well get comfortable, no need to stand up.

Pidgey


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## Margarret

Pidgey,

Many thanks for the pictures. S/he is utterly adorable. You can't tell what sex they are until they reach maturity. Then when the beak turns yellow again, it will be either pink or blue (not kidding) down near the face. You and Lin are going to have a chuckle a day, if not an outright belly laugh from the antics that this little one get up to. And as soon as it can fly, let it have a shallow bath pan. We leave a plastic dog bowl, the kind with a rubber bottom in the bath tub all day as our Starling takes at least three to four baths a day. They flip water all over the place. Look like little motor boats in the bath. 

Margaret


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## Feather

She looks so tiny in your hand, but look at those strong legs she has.


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## Charis

I think I already said that your life will never be the same!


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## TAWhatley

Thanks for the photos Papa Starling! What a little cutie you have there!

Terry


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## tms1950

Well,guys,guess what came in to my rehab yesterday? No less than SIX fuzzy baby starlings(and some of them also lay on their sides)!! And a baby crow today! Boy,I`m in for it-lol!! My pet starling,Tyler,saw them all and keeps saying "precious,pretty baby!".
Teresa
For The Birds Wildlife Rehab


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## Charis

tms1950 said:


> Well,guys,guess what came in to my rehab yesterday? No less than SIX fuzzy baby starlings(and some of them also lay on their sides)!! And a baby crow today! Boy,I`m in for it-lol!! My pet starling,Tyler,saw them all and keeps saying "precious,pretty baby!".
> Teresa
> For The Birds Wildlife Rehab


LOL...My Starling used to say...what a pretty baby birdie!


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## Feather

I have never heard a Starling talk, but they sure make some sweet music.


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## mr squeaks

Someday, Pidgey is going to have to make a video of Agent Starling and his/her vocabulary!

I bet Lin will have a hand in "keeping it clean!" ROFL 

Shi


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## Pidgey

She can't--she got the job in Indianapolis and left Tuesday. I'm afraid Agent Starling will be all alone with me.

Pidgey Lector


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## Feather

Dang...ALONE TOGETHER sounds sooooooooooo spooky.


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## Maggie-NC

Pidgey said:


> She can't--she got the job in Indianapolis and left Tuesday. I'm afraid Agent Starling will be all alone together
> 
> Pidgey Lector



Not permanently in Indianapolis I hope!


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## Pidgey

Oh, no, not permanently. She only needs about six months to get her 30 years in.

Pidgey


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## mr squeaks

Pidgey said:


> She can't--she got the job in Indianapolis and left Tuesday. I'm afraid Agent Starling will be all alone together
> 
> Pidgey Lector


OH NO!! I sure wish her the BEST!!

YIKES!! Without Lin's influence, I hate to see what Agent Starling will end up saying! BE PREPARED FELLOW MEMBERS!! 

For shame, Pidgey, you need to behave yourself! You wouldn't want to be a "bad" influence on a poor defenseless Starling, would you???

Shi
Concerned watcher!


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## Pidgey

Agent Starling can drink on her own now but she plays with her food and still demands that I put it in. 

Vehemently. 

She likes to be tucked under my chin on one of my hands. If I reach up to pet her with the other hand, she attacks it. 

Vehemently.

She flies. And poops. 

Vehemently.

She pretty much does about everything vehemently. 

And loudly.

Pidgey


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## Charis

LOL...LOL...Couldn't happen to a better fellow.

I once watched some young Starlings begging for their dad to feed them. There were 5 

of them and they acted like it had been years since their last meal. They were 

chasing...screaming after dad. I threw some bread out and when dad was picking some 

up to feed them, they were gorging, all on their own, behind his back. When he would 

turn around to feed them, they accepted his offering and screamed for more.


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## mr squeaks

Didn't know Pidgey has posted an update! YEAAA

FINALLY, a bird to give even Pidgey a run for his money!!!

I can see it now! Pidgey types a few words...stops, feeds A.S....types few more words...feeds again...trying to keep sanity over screaming Starling wanting FOOD...NOW! Tries to calm A.S. by petting...gets bitten...ahhhhh, no rest for the wicked...

Oh, I LOVE IT! 

Hugs and Scritches to Agent Starling!!

Shi & 
Squeaks (who is encouraging A.S. to keep up the great work! This bird would make a FINE addition to the SPPs!)


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## TAWhatley

ROFL! You got it figured, Pidgey .. starlings do everything vehemently !

I released some of mine this past Friday and have been "blessed" with them showing up in our orange tree Saturday and Sunday morning to scream and screech at me. That's their way of telling me freedom is great, but where are our treats! I put out a soaked kibble treat for them, they gobble it down, screech at me another time or two and take off.

They really are quite amazing birds and so very different in temperament and behaviour from our beloved pigeons.

Ya oughta ask Margarret about Spreckles .. 

Terry


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## Maggie-NC

Pidgey, it can take a while to wean them. They like to be waited on. They can be messy little buggers, flinging food everywhere but love to be cuddled when they're young. I don't know about when they get older. I so hope you keep A.S.


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## Charis

Lady Tarheel said:


> Pidgey, it can take a while to wean them. They like to be waited on. They can be messy little buggers, flinging food everywhere but love to be cuddled when they're young. I don't know about when they get older. I so hope you keep A.S.


Mine enjoyed the cuddeling when older. Hungry, loved eating off plates at human dinner time.


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## Feather

What sweet sounding little birds. I would love to cuddle one.


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## littlestar

Pidgey, it's nice to see a starling came into your life. And let me tell you your life will never be the same, lol. I got 14 baby baby starlings in at once this year and all had to be handfed. I have 5 five that eat on their own, but the rest want to still be handfed. Good luck with baby and yes they do look grumpy all the time, lol.

Maggie, Yes starlings are food flingers, and I know well being I have half of the food on me, lol.

Feather, if you want I can set you up with a starling that you can cuddle for the 15-20 years, lol.


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## Maggie-NC

We rehabbed many songbirds over the years and one of my best memories involved starlings. When they were young, I would feed them, then put them on a towel where they would pile up on each other and then I would wrap both my arms around that little pile. They would cuddle into my arms and go sound asleep. Sometimes there may have been 8 to 10 in that pile. They are definitely sweethearts.

I still can't figure out why I never kept one.


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## Pidgey

Yeah, they definitely like togetherness. You probably didn't keep one because they're so &%$# loud. Unfortunately for me, I just don't have the time to keep this one so she's going out to the wild and has already begun training. There seem to be quite a few living here in the trees of the backyard already so she fits right in.

Pidgey


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## Beth1965

I have three pet starlings and they do get cuter and more fun. They learn to talk also. I have a male named Lucky that says 24 words. Being from the Mynah bird family they can really chatter Lucky even dances. When they are small they are the ugly duckling I have to say-lol.I will try to post a pic for you to see how handsome he has turned out. Way more feisty than mellow pigeons that is for sure. i still have to introduce Lucky and the others to Snuggles the pigeon after she is done laying on her eggs. Good luck with Starling baby.


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