Eugene Schieffelin (b. New York 1827; d. Rhode Island 1906) belonged to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society and the New York Zoological Society. He was responsible for introducing the starling (Sturnus vulgaris) to North America, where it has become a serious pest. This article is about the zoo, for the tv series see The Bronx Zoo (TV). ... Binomial name Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 The European Starling or Common Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, is a passerine bird in the family Sturnidae. ...

Starling release

In 1890, He released 60 starlings into New York City’s Central Park. He did the same with another 40 birds in 1891. It is said (though there is no evidence to support this) that his motivation was to allow New Yorkers to see all the birds mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare; more likely he was merely trying to control the same pests that had been annoying him thirty years earlier, when he sponsored the introduction of the House Sparrow to North America.^[1] 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... A Central Park landscape Central Park is a large public, urban park (843 acres or 3. ... Year 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Until that time (1890), starlings were not native to North America. Schieffelin imported the starlings from England. Scientists estimate that descendants from those two original released flocks now number at more than 200 million residing in the United States. Genera Aplonis Poeoptera Grafisia Onychognathus Lamprotornis Aplonis Aplonis Cinnyricinclus Speculipastor Neochicla Spreo Cosmoparus Sarroglossa Creatophora Fregilupus (extinct) Sturnus Leucopsar Basilornis Streptocitta Sarcops Scissirostrum See also Myna, Oxpecker Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

The starlings' wildly successful spread is believed to have come at the expense of many native birds that compete with the starling for nest holes in trees. Genera Aplonis Poeoptera Grafisia Onychognathus Lamprotornis Aplonis Aplonis Cinnyricinclus Speculipastor Neochicla Spreo Cosmoparus Sarroglossa Creatophora Fregilupus (extinct) Sturnus Leucopsar Basilornis Streptocitta Sarcops Scissirostrum See also Myna, Oxpecker Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. ... Genera Aplonis Mino Basilornis Sarcops Streptocitta Enodes Scissirostrum Sarroglossa Ampeliceps Gracula Acridotheres Leucopsar Sturnia Sturnus Creatophora Fregilupus (extinct) Necropsar (extinct) Coccycolius Lamprotornis Cinnyricinclus Spreo Cosmoparus Onychognathus Poeoptera Grafisia Speculipastor Neochicla Buphagus See also: Myna, Oxpecker Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. ...

His attempts to introduce bullfinches, chaffinches, nightingales, and skylarks were not successful. Bullfinch is a name given to two groups of passerine birds. ... Binomial name Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 The Chaffinch, (Fringilla coelebs), is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. ... Nightingales was an unusual British sitcom produced by Channel 4 in the early 1990s. ... Binomial name Alauda arvensis Linnaeus, 1758 The Skylark (Alauda arvensis) is a small passerine bird. ...

Reasons for release

Schieffelin belonged to the Acclimation Society of North America, a group with the laudable, if misguided, aim of aiding the exchange of plants and animals from one part of the world to another. In the 19th Century, such acclimatization societies were fashionable and supported by the scientific knowledge and beliefs of that era, as the effect that non-native species could have on the local ecosystem was not yet known. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Compared to contemporary scientific thought, Schieffelin’s 19th century actions may now seem naïve and even foolish. European starlings are now considered an invasive species in the USA. In the politically charged arena of genetically modified organisms, Schieffelin’s actions are cited by opponents of GMO’s as an example of what can go wrong if an experimental organism escapes from a laboratory and radiates throughout the environment. Lantana Invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel; May 2, 2006 The term invasive species refers to a subset of those species defined as introduced species or non-indigenous species. ... A genetically modified organism is an organism whose genetic material has been deliberately altered. ...

Trivia

• Eugene Schieffelin was a wealthy drug manufacturer and theatre aficionado.
• Schieffelin Avenue in the Bronx honors his family, which owned land in Edenwald, near Eastchester Road.

• Some have speculated that his ambition was to introduce every bird mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare into the United States, though this is almost certainly not true.

• Shakespeare’s sole reference to the starling appears in King Henry IV, part 1 (Act 1, scene 3): “Nay, I’ll have a starling shall be taught to speak nothing but ‘Mortimer.’” [1]

Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Notes

External links

• Park and the People, A History of Central Park By Roy Rosenzweig, Elizabeth Blackmar (See hyperlinks referring to Schieffelin on page 1 of the book.)
• New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Edenwald Playground
• GreenMuseum.org, “I'll Have a Starling” installation
• Tennessee State Department of Environment and Conservation, Origins of the European Starling in the United States, By David Ian Withers
• Stanford University, Birds of Stanford - Essays, Avian Invaders, by Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye
• Newsday.com, Starlings in Flight Not Bard's Delight, By Julie Claire Diop, June 8, 2003