All European Starlings (also known as Common Starlings or simply as Starlings) in North America are descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s. The birds were intentionally released by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. It took several tries, but eventually the population took off. Today, more than 200 million European Starlings range from Alaska to Mexico, and many people consider them pests. I am one of those people. These aggressive birds are well known for evicting native cavity nesters such as Bluebirds, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Purple Martins, Swallows, and Woodpeckers. In some areas of the Red-bellied Woodpecker's range the European Starling takes over as many as 50% of the Red-bellied Woodpeckers nests. For its role in the decline of local native species and the damages to agriculture, the common starling has been included in the IUCN List of the World's 100 Worst Invasive Species. In the United States, common starlings are exempt from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits the taking or killing of migratory birds. No permit is required to remove nests and eggs or kill juveniles or adults. Help defend all native cavity-nesters from Starlings.