Birds Sturnus vulgaris

Hart (1993) reports a study of behavioral effects of the OP insecticide chlorfenvin-phos on captive starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Birds were dosed with 3-9 mg/kg of the insecticide presented orally in the form of capsules. Behavioral effects were related... 

Birds that breed in cavities and reuse their nest sites often incorporate green parts of aromatic plants into their nests. Starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, prefer certain species of plants to others. House sparrows. Passer domesticus, incorporate neem (margosa) tree, Azadirachta indica, leaves into their nests. Extracts from neem leaves repel arthropods and inhibit oviposition (Sengupta, 1981). The aromatic plants are thought to fulfill an important function by keeping down populations of microbes in the birds nests (Mason and Clark, 1986). 

Even bird species with smaller olfactory bulbs respond to odors more than previously assumed. Starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, for instance, olfactorily discriminate species of aromatic plants they place in their nests. Three lines of... 

Feeding repellents for pest birds are the most important application of chemical stimuli to manipulate bird behavior. Methyl anthranilate (Fig. 13.1) and dimethyl anthranilate, esters of benzoic acid, are found in concord grapes and are used as artificial flavorings. Starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, have an aversion to methyl anthranilate, which irritates the trigeminal nerve, and they feed less on food flavored with a variety of anthranilates. They avoid the more volatile anthranilates most. The odor is partly responsible for the effect contact is not necessary. In one particular experiment, only volatile compounds were aversive (Mason and Clark, 1987). If only anthranilate-treated food is offered, the birds will accept more of the flavored food than they do if they offered a choice between... 

In this study I review the nature of interaction of repellents in mixture for birds, using starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) as a model. In the first case, I review studies of bird repellent mixtures where the component agents are both trigeminally mediated primary bird repellents. In the second case I review a study in which the component agents not only differ in mediating sensory system, but also in their mode of action. 

Rothschild, M. and Ford, B. (1968) Warning signals from a starling Sturnus vulgaris observing a bird rejecting unpalatable prey. Ibis., 110, 14-105. 

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