Pink starlings noisily burst into the Turkmen spring. Flocks of these birds can be observed in Ashgabat, Turkmenbashy and the surrounding cities. The birds are very noticeable to the eye: approximately the size of a common mynah (locust starling), but the breast, abdomen and back are pastel pink in color. The “aliens” immediately occupied the mulberry trees, whose branches were already bursting with ripening aromatic berries.
Even if you cannot see these birds in the foliage (especially in mulberry trees), you can determine their presence by their continuous choral chirping.
Zoologist, ornithologist, consultant of the Hazar Nature Reserve Alexander Shcherbina told us that noisy flocks of pink starlings appeared in Turkmenbashy on the evening of May 1st, and at the peak of migration, thousands of pink starlings, flying to their nesting places, namely to Kazakhstan.
Pink starlings also like to feast on young garden seedlings, which can cause some damage to the owners of their garden plots. However, as the ornithologist notes, these birds have one big advantage that will justify all their “tricks.” They feed their numerous and voracious chicks mainly on insects, especially locusts, which sometimes cause incomparable damage to farmland, and this is the great merit of pink starlings to the agricultural sector.
The zoologist added that sparrows, whose name comes from their habit of stealing grain at the leks after harvesting (“beat the thief”), also feed their numerous broods of chicks on insects. Flies are a special delicacy for them!
Birds living next to us repeatedly prove their usefulness to people. Let's take care of the birds, because as their numbers increase, our fields will not be attacked by locusts and other insects.
