A few dozen birds released in New York City more than a century ago hardly sounds like the beginning of a continental transformation. Yet European Starlings went from those early Central Park introductions to one of North America’s most widespread birds, as per a report by AllAboutBirds and Space Daily.
The familiar story says the release was inspired by Shakespeare. But that part of the story is much less certain than the birds themselves. Modern historians have shown that the popular tale of Schieffelin wanting to introduce every bird from William Shakespeare's plays is likely a later fable, as per several reports.
What is clear is what happened afterward. The starlings survived, spread rapidly and eventually occupied almost every U.S. state and Canadian province. Their population reached an estimated 200 million at its 20th-century peak before falling substantially in recent decades.
And scientists now have another piece of the puzzle: their genes may help explain why these birds were so remarkably good at adjusting to life in new environments.
