Starling
If these days you are in Mallorca and you see a flock of black birds, or you are unfortunate enough to find the car covered by bird droppings, almost certain that you have met with starlings.
These are migratory birds that pass through Mallorca in the autumn, on their journey south to escape the cold winter in northern Europe. They form large flocks, sometimes with thousands of individuals that move in time as if they were a single individual. Actually to observe them is a true spectacle, and if you see them suddenly bunching together, that’s probably because some bird of prey is stalking them. At dusk they refuge together in places like the Albufera Gran de Mallorca natural park, where they find one of their favourite refuge. Often they choose as well urban areas to spend the night, causing grave damages due to the dirt that such a concentration of animals leave. For this reason, municipalities are forced to take action to scare them away, like dazzling them with powerful lights to make them desist from spending the night in the town.
They feed on insects, worms and fruit, among which in its migration through Mallorca are the olives. For this reason, they may become harmful to crops of olive trees, as if they get into an olive grove can ruin the entire harvest.
If you want to know a little better this bird that visits us every autumn, following this link you will find out more about the starlings.