Towns and villages

Habitat

Starlings are found across urban and rural areas. They have a varied diet, feeding on insects, worms, berries, snails, spiders, fruit and scraps. However, they only feed their young on invertebrates and research shows that they capture more prey in short grass.

Starlings nest in tree cavities, nest boxes, under roof tiles and in the eaves of buildings.

Young birds form large flocks that can become huge in the winter as birds arrive from northern Europe. Winter roosts can contain several thousand birds, which gather in reedbeds, farm buildings and trees.

Population

The breeding population in the UK has fallen sharply, particularly since the early 1980s. As it continues to decline, starlings are on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red list. In Devon, they’re still numerous (and abundant in winter) but there has been a huge decline. In 1988 they covered 87% of tetrads but by 2016 this had fallen to only 36%.

60% of starlings live in urban and garden habitats, but relatively little is known about them. Urban starlings produce fewer young than rural starlings, but the reasons for this difference are not well understood.

Habitat

Swifts rarely touch the ground as they sleep, eat, bathe and even mate while flying. They spend the winter in Africa and come back to the UK in summer, where they  nest in buildings in towns and villages, returning to the same site each year. They feed on flying insects and pair for life. 

Population

Although widespread across much of the country, between 1995 and 2002 the swift population decreased by 66%. In Devon, they’ve undergone a significant decline in population and it’s thought there are now just 2,000 pairs in the county. The reasons for swifts’ decline are likely to include a lack of insects, loss of nesting sites and poor summer weather. They’re on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red list.

Habitat

House sparrows are noisy, sociable birds that nest in colonies. They’re found in urban and rural areas throughout the UK where they nest in crevices in buildings, in nest boxes and in ivy, hedges and scrub. They have a mixed diet, feeding on seeds and insects near to their nests. They also visit bird tables and feeders.

Population

Between 1977 and 2008, house sparrows declined by 71%, with large falls in both rural and urban areas. Although it’s not clear why their population has fallen so sharply, predation by cats and sparrowhawks, lack of nest sites, lack of food, pollution and avian malaria are all possible causes. House sparrows have been on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red list since 2002.

Habitat

House martins are a summer visitor to the UK. They build nests from wet mud mixed with straw and grass under the eaves of buildings. They return to the same nesting sites each year and will reuse their old nests. As they use wet mud, they’re often found near ponds, lakes and rivers. They feed on the wing on flying insects. 

Population

The UK breeding population of house martins declined by 44% between 1995 and 2022 and they’re on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red list.  In Devon, between 1988 and 2016, the number of tetrads with house martins fell by nearly 50%. The reasons for this decline are not well understood, but research shows that birds that build nests on PVC, rather than brick, concrete or wood, have much lower breeding success. A decline in insects is also likely to be a factor.