The European Starling is a common sight at backyard feeders, but its aggressive nature and tendency to feed in large flocks often make it an unwelcome guest. These birds quickly dominate feeding stations, rapidly consuming food meant for native songbirds. Shifting the menu to foods that starlings consistently ignore is the most effective way to regain control of your bird feeding environment without deterring smaller, desired species.
Specific Foods Starlings Ignore
The most recommended food for deterring starlings is safflower seed, which they dislike due to its hard shell and naturally bitter flavor. The tough shell requires more effort to crack than starlings are willing to expend. Safflower is a favorite of several welcomed species, including Northern Cardinals, House Finches, and Chickadees, making it an excellent substitute for preferred starling foods.
Another effective option is Nyjer seed, which is extremely small and requires a specialized feeder design. Starlings find the tiny size and the restrictive ports of a Nyjer tube feeder difficult to manage, limiting their access. Similarly, offering whole peanuts in the shell poses a challenge because the starling’s beak is not strong enough to easily crack the thick shell. Foods like white proso millet are generally ignored when presented alongside more palatable options.
Starling Feeding Behaviors and Preferences
A starling’s feeding habits are directly linked to the foods it avoids, as its anatomy dictates what it can efficiently consume. These birds possess a long, pointed, and relatively softer bill adapted for a unique foraging technique called “gaping” or “open-bill probing.” The starling pushes its closed beak into soft soil or a crevice and then uses powerful muscles to force the beak open, exposing hidden insects or grubs.
This specialization means they are adapted for consuming soft food items like insects, berries, and suet, which require little shelling or individual manipulation. When at a feeder, starlings act as “gulp feeders,” preferring to quickly swallow large quantities of easily accessible food like cracked corn, shelled peanuts, or sunflower kernels. They are reluctant to engage with hard-shelled items, such as safflower, because it contradicts their fast-feeding, opportunistic style.
Adjusting Feeder Setup for Deterrence
Beyond changing the food, modifying the physical feeder setup exploits the starling’s size and feeding posture to prevent access. One effective solution is the use of caged feeders, where a protective outer wire mesh permits small songbirds to pass through but blocks the larger starling from reaching the food reservoir. This physical barrier makes the feeding station inaccessible to the bigger birds.
Another successful strategy involves using upside-down suet feeders, which force a bird to cling to the bottom to feed. Woodpeckers and nuthatches are naturally acrobatic and can easily manage this position, but starlings struggle with hanging upside down for prolonged periods. Furthermore, employing weight-activated feeders can exclude starlings. These devices are calibrated to close the feeding ports when a bird heavier than a certain threshold lands on the perch. These adjustments, combined with starling-unfriendly food choices, provide a multi-faceted approach to controlling the feeding environment.