The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is primarily a winter visitor in the UAE, arriving from late October through March and often forming flocks of hundreds to thousands. You’ll find them foraging in cultivated fields, parks, mangrove fringes and irrigated gardens, where they glean insects, earthworms and fallen fruit. At dusk, starlings gather in spectacular murmurations—roosting communally in palm groves or mangrove stands (notably at Ras Al Khor)—before dispersing at first light. While true breeding populations are rare in the Emirates, a handful of pairs have been observed nesting in palm‐frond cavities and building crevices. Their glossy black plumage with an iridescent sheen, spotted winter speckling, and lively chattering calls make them one of the most eye-catching, gregarious passerines to grace the UAE’s winter skies.