Figure 11.10 The rapid dispersal of European starlings across the United States. After being introduced near New York City in 1890 and 1891, the bird rapidly spread across the United States over a 60-year period. The blue-shaded area represents the range of breeding populations. The blue dots indicate detections of starlings that exhibited unusually long dispersal, thereby facilitating the rapid spread of the species. Today, the starling population covers more than 7 million km2 of North America from coast to coast.
Data from B. Kessel, Distribution and migration of the European starling in North America, Condor 55 (1953): 49–67; and the U.S. Geological Survey (2003), http://www.mbrpwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/htm03/ra2003_red/ra04930.htm