Wildlife Garden DecoBird Star 16.5 cm hand-carved & hand-painted

At a glance

• hand-carved and hand-painted starling
• Model: Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
• dark plumage with characteristic light speckles
• lifelike body shape with a long, pointed beak
• hand-painted with water-based paint
• Dimensions: 16.5 × 5.3 × 10.6 cm
• Weight: approx. 76 g
• for indoor use
• includes a brochure with information about the bird species
• gift box with display window

Product details

• Brand: Wildlife Garden
• Series: DecoBird
• Bird species: Common starling
• Scientific name: Sturnus vulgaris
• Item number: WG412
• EAN: 7350054760591
• Material: Linden wood
• Painting: Water-based paint
• Length: 16.5 cm
• Width: 5.3 cm
• Height: 10.6 cm
• Weight: approx. 76 g
• Usage: Indoor
• Packaging: Gift box with display window
• Other: Brochure with information about the bird species

Black? Only at first glance

From a distance, you might think the starling is a fairly dark and inconspicuous bird. Anyone who looks at it up close and in good light will discover something completely different.

Its plumage can shimmer with metallic green, violet, and bronze tones. In addition, especially outside the breeding season, there are numerous light tips and speckles in the plumage.

It is precisely this combination that makes the starling an interesting subject for a hand-painted DecoBird.

The starling – Sturnus vulgaris

The starling is one of the best-known European birds and can be found in very diverse habitats. Gardens, parks, agricultural areas, and open landscapes provide it with food and suitable nesting sites.

Its compact body shape, relatively short tail, and long, pointed beak distinguish it clearly from a blackbird when viewed closely.

Plumage that changes

The appearance of a starling is not the same all year round. After molting, the fresh feathers have light tips, making the bird appear noticeably speckled.

As the feather tips wear down, the effect of the plumage changes. In spring, the dark, metallic, shimmering breeding plumage becomes more prominent.

The starling thus beautifully demonstrates how much a bird's appearance can change over the course of the year.

An amazing vocal mimic

Acoustically, too, the starling is much more versatile than its exterior might initially suggest. Its song consists of whistles, clicks, and chattering sounds and can include elements it has picked up from its environment.

Starlings are amazingly good at mimicking other bird calls and various noises. Anyone who hears a starling sing does not necessarily get the same program every time.

When individual birds become a flock

Starlings are extremely social. Especially outside the breeding season, they can gather into large flocks.

The synchronous flight movements of such flocks are among the most impressive bird sightings of all. Thousands of individual animals move through the air seemingly like a single large organism.

This is a remarkable contrast to the individual small bird that Wildlife Garden represents with this DecoBird.

16.5 cm long and 76 grams heavy

The DecoBird starling measures 16.5 × 5.3 × 10.6 cm and weighs around 76 g. This places it in size between the small tits and the significantly larger DecoBirds such as the puffin or barn owl.

The dimensions and weight specifications are particularly helpful when buying online, as the actual size of an individual wooden figure is difficult to estimate from product photos.

Hand-carved and hand-painted

The starling is hand-carved and then painted with water-based paints. The individual feather sections and the typical body shape are sculpted three-dimensionally.

The painting is particularly important for this bird species. Visually, the starling lives from its fine speckles and the different nuances of its dark plumage – not from large, clearly separated color patches.

Due to the manual manufacturing process, small differences in wood structure, carving, and painting may occur. They are part of the individual character of each DecoBird.

For indoor use

For our current product description, we list the DecoBird starling as a decorative figure for indoor use, in accordance with the series' current usage recommendation.

At 16.5 cm long, it is easy to display individually on a shelf, windowsill, desk, or dresser, and can also be combined with other native DecoBirds.

With brochure about the bird species

The DecoBird comes with a brochure containing information about the starling. The hand-carved wooden figure is delivered in a gift box with a display window.

In doing so, Wildlife Garden once again combines the decorative figure with information about the real bird that served as a model.

My assessment

To me, the starling is one of those birds that is easily underestimated. You know it, see it often, and might initially just think of it as a dark bird.

Only up close do you recognize how elaborate its plumage actually is. Metallic green and violet tones, light speckles, and a bird that can imitate other voices and noises – it is anything but inconspicuous.

That is exactly why it fits well into the DecoBird series. Wildlife Garden does not need a spectacular pose here. The interesting work is in the plumage detail and painting – and anyone who sees a real starling in the right light afterward will probably look more closely.