Abundant resident and winter visitor.

Despite their abundance, Starling numbers in both Britain and northern Europe are declining agricultural and climatic changes have been suggested as reasons for this decline.

A.R. Jenkins (1958) recorded that, “during the autumn and winter months, flocks numbering many thousands visit the region”. An evening roosting flight of approximately 1000 Starlings was seen over Popple Way on 19 March 1979, 500 gathered at the Town Centre as dusk approached on 10 February 2001, a pre-roost flight of 300 birds was seen over the Westgate Shopping Centre on 27 November 2005, over 300 were seen at St Nicholas Park on 27 March 2008, 500 seen at Stevenage on 8 October 2014, 2000, seen over Stevenage on 20 October 2020, 1000 birds seen at Stevenage on 2 and 5 November 2021 and 1000+ seen in a single pine tree near the Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre, with smaller flocks flying south to roost elsewhere on 18 December 2023.

A summer roost of 300 was seen by the Hollywood Bowl in the Leisure Park on 18 June 2005.

An albino bird was seen for a week at Symonds Green from 4 January 1977. 

A bird ringed at Tring was found in Chells in 1980 and a juvenile male ringed at, Upper Green, Langley, Essex, on 10 July 2011 was found injured at Great Ashby on 22 July 2011.

Starlings were confirmed as breeding in every tetrad covering Stevenage in both the 1973 and 1992 Breeding Atlases and, in 10 in the 2012 Atlas.

Breeding was confirmed at Fairlands Valley Park in 2007.

The 2012 Winter Atlas confirmed their presence from all 11 of the tetrads covering Stevenage.

The Common Bird Census at Watery Grove recorded Starlings as holding between one and three breeding territories annually between 1972 and 1978. From then only their presence was recorded in the breeding seasons of 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1995. They used to nest in holes in the Oak trees, but they suffered predation from Grey Squirrels. Large numbers visit the wood as mobile foraging family parties from mid-summer onwards to feed high in the Oaks on caterpillars. These parties are assumed to be from the large numbers that breed in the buildings of Stevenage.