Bird on the Street: The Unnatural History of Starlings

by Julia Zichello

Genres: Birds

208 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication November 3, 2026

Reviews

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great and accessible to read for people who don’t have a science background! I’m relatively new to birding, but had often heard about the destructive tendencies of starlings and knew that they’re generally hated. Me? Idk, they’re just a bird doing what they can to survive and I can’t hate them for that. They’re beautiful, fun to watch (especially during breeding season, watching fledglings chase after their parent screaming for food is the best time of year imo) and fun to listen to (more than once has Merlin thought it was a red tailed hawk it was listening to when in reality it was a starling doing starling things!!). They are incredible at adapting to new environments (down to the length of their beaks, seriously so cool) and what’s sad is that we created the conditions for them to be successful and now resent them for it. All that to say, this book was right up my alley and I’m firmly in the camp now of starling lover (sorry, haters).

I really enjoyed the starling watch notes at the end, I find so much joy in the little moments I get to share with birds every day (when i’m not actively birding) and I think I’ll pick a bird in my area and do the same for a year :)

[Katharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confessing at the very beginning that I am 100% the target market for Bird on the Street. I adore science-y books where I feel like I am learning something, especially relating to the natural world. Bugs, trees, fungi, birds, fish......... I'll read it joyfully. I also have a daughter with a PhD in the sciences.

So, I absolutely loved every bit of it, even (or especially) Zichello's tangential rants about sexism in the sciences and her work encouraging young female scientists-to-be through dedication and hands-on experience.

Zichello states that the book is both for starling-haters and starling-lovers. I fall squarely in the haters camp, as I live in the suburbs and watch groups of multiple dozen starlings routinely clean out the bird feeders I have set up for the "prettier" and "fun to watch" species who live in my neighborhood. But, as pointed out in BOTS, starlings are opportunists and will eat just about anything placed where they can get to it. There's nothing I can do about it (eye-roll).

But, I loved reading about their history, their cousin-birds, their habits, their ability to adapt to almost any situation, and also about how Zichello decided to dedicate 10 years of her life to them. So, BOTS is actually a book about Zichello herself as well as about the birds she studied. And, I like her too.

Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[G C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always been fascinated by starlings even though so many really do seem to despise them. People who claim to love other birds and wildlife but not the ones they deem to be a nuisance. In every animal or life form (even the bugs that I don’t like) I can appreciate their place in our ecosystem and their survival instincts much as the author does here with starlings.

I do think they are beautiful birds and fascinating to watch so when I saw this book I became very intrigued by the authors POV. She shares their history and evolution and how they’ve adapted and thrived in their environment as a means for us to appreciate them for the birds they are.

This is an excellent book for anyone who enjoys wildlife (even ones others find to be a nuisance) or even just learning how one of the many species around us have evolved and adapted to our constantly changing environment.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a well researched and informative book. It provides an outside perspective on the natural history of what is kindly an invasive species. It also includes the interesting appendix of the author’s nature journal which is an interesting read as well.