Starling Roost Welfare and Urban Murmurations

Starlings form spectacular aerial murmurations before roosting in reed beds and urban structures. UK breeding populations have declined by 66% since the 1980s, making conservation of roosting habitat increasingly important.

Key Facts

Starling murmurations can contain over a million birds in a single flock
Winter roosts provide warmth, information sharing, and safety in numbers
Urban roosts in buildings can contain hundreds of thousands of birds
UK starling populations have declined due to loss of permanent pasture and invertebrate prey

Welfare Considerations

Starlings ejected from building roosts through exclusion work face loss of a site they may have used for generations. Exclusion during the breeding season is illegal and causes nest failure. Winter roost exclusion in cold weather can leave large numbers of birds without shelter in conditions that increase mortality risk. Pest control operations using lethal methods cause mass mortality events that are unjustified for a declining native species. Urban roosting starlings provide environmental services including pest control in adjacent areas.

What You Can Do

Oppose lethal control of urban starling roosts and advocate for non-lethal management
Support the retention of starling roosting access in old buildings where possible
Report starling murmurations and roost locations to the RSPB Starling Survey
Create suitable garden habitat including lawns and rough grass for foraging starlings during the breeding season