According to this account, these 40-plus birds gave rise to all of the starlings found in our backyards today. However, recent research has suggested that this story might not be accurate.

It’s not just starlings either: Within the same time frame, Europe and North America have lost 550 million and 2.9 billion birds, respectively, due to habitat loss and other human-driven causes.

Celebrated bird expert Heather Wolf will present a special program and slideshow, including information on unusual birds like the Starling and the Killdeer, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at the Estuary ...