European starlings, house sparrows and Eurasian collared-doves, Marin’s non-native birds

I mostly write about native birds, species that have existed in California since long before European settlement. However, there are also a few species of local birds that are not native to the New World, but which arrived from other parts of the globe through human transportation and subsequently established themselves, spreading and reproducing until many casual observers no longer distinguish them from other wild birds. Three of the most notable of these non-native birds in Marin are European starlings, house sparrows and Eurasian collared-doves.

First though, a qualification to the use of the term “non-native.” There are other species native to California that have only been present in Marin for a relatively short time, and that almost never attract the sometimes dismissive label of “non-native.” A hundred years ago, neither mockingbirds nor hooded orioles, for instance, occurred north of Santa Barbara, but both are now common Bay Area birds that moved north largely in line with the spread of suburban neighborhood landscaping. The application of “non-native” is therefore often applied in an excessively black-and-white manner. In truth, some birds that are treated as natives and essentially universally welcomed are also relatively recent arrivals to Marin.

But for some species, the story of their arrival is unambiguous and dramatic. Eurasian starlings, for instance, were intentionally released in New York in the 1890s through a not-very-thought-through aspiration to introduce birds mentioned in Shakespeare to America. This robin-sized species of black birds with iridescent plumage and yellow bills spread rapidly and is now common across the country. Their presence is often considered detrimental, as they are relatively large and aggressive cavity-nesting birds that can outcompete native cavity-nesters such as bluebirds in some areas, although the level of their impact may vary significantly from place to place.

Starlings do, however, have their impressive side: they are known as accomplished mimics (Mozart famously had a pet starling) and can gather in huge, swirling flocks known as murmurations, including here in Marin.

House sparrows, also known as English house sparrows, have had a similar trajectory, spreading across the continent since being introduced in New York in the 1800s in the hope that they would help control pest caterpillars. Today, they are found in both agricultural and urbanized areas; in Marin, their main habitat is around parking lots and busy downtowns, where they scavenge for crumbs (in addition to seeds and insects) and nest in nooks and crevices of buildings.

Although generally shaped similarly to our native sparrows, house sparrows actually belong to an entirely separate family. Females are relatively plain and brown, but males are distinctive, with strong facial markings featuring a black throat, white cheeks and a chestnut nape.

A more recent arrival is the Eurasian collared-dove. In the 1800s, they lived from Turkey to China, but spread across Europe in the 20th century. After a small number of birds escaped from captivity in the Bahamas in the 1970s, they flew to Florida and then progressed to spread across the country, reaching California in the 1990s. These large, light cream-colored doves with black collars are now regular suburban residents in Marin and continue to increase in abundance. Despite some worries about their rapid spread, there has not yet been clear evidence of detrimental impacts on other birds such as our smaller native mourning dove.

These three birds — starlings, house sparrows and collared-doves — are not native to California, or to America. Is that grounds for disdain? While ecological circumstances may merit some concern or protective measures when other species are clearly impacted, I don’t think that blanket disdain or dismissal is ever a productive attitude.

The impact of contemporary humans on the ecology of California is of course also “non-native” in origin, and far larger than that of collared-doves and their fellow avian immigrants. And for any given individual going about their day, the interest that birds give to life is no more dependent on the geographical origins of their ancestors than that of humans.

I am glad to watch as a swarm of starlings undulates above my head in a mesmerizing flock, a house sparrow peeks out from the restaurant patio where few native birds can thrive, and another dove contributes gentleness to the world.

Jack Gedney’s On the Wing runs every other Monday. He is a co-owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Novato and author of “The Private Lives of Public Birds.” You can reach him at jack@natureinnovato.com