Editing Common starling (section)

==== Australia ====
The common starling was introduced to Australia to consume insect pests of farm crops. Early settlers looked forward to their arrival, believing that common starlings were also important for the pollination of [[flax]], a major agricultural product. Nest-boxes for the newly released birds were placed on farms and near crops. The common starling was introduced to [[Melbourne]] in 1857 and Sydney two decades later.<ref name=H1907/> By the 1880s, established populations were present in the southeast of the country thanks to the work of acclimatisation committees.<ref name=Wooly>Woolnough, Andrew P; Massam, Marion C; Payne, Ron L; Pickles, Greg S "Out on the border: keeping starlings out of Western Australia" in Parkes ''et al.'' (2005) pp. 183–189.</ref> By the 1920s, common starlings were widespread throughout [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Queensland and [[New South Wales]], but by then they were considered to be pests.<ref name=H1907/> Although common starlings were first sighted in [[Albany, Western Australia]] in 1917, they have been largely prevented from spreading to the state. The wide and arid [[Nullarbor Plain]] provides a natural barrier and control measures have been adopted that have killed 55,000 birds over three decades.<ref name= dewr>Department of the Environment and Water Resources (2007) p. 17.</ref> The common starling has also colonised [[Kangaroo Island]], [[Lord Howe Island]], [[Norfolk Island]] and [[Tasmania]].<ref name=long81/>