European Starlings

European Starlings were introduced into New York city's Central Park in 1890 by Eugene Schieffelin, a pharmacist who wanted to introduce all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. Now starlings are a pest from coast to coast. More than 4,500 exotic species now occur in North America; doing perhaps billions of dollars of damage to native wildlife, timber, crops, and property. This is not to mention the ecological damage that science cannot undo. An excellent book that chronicles the natural history of exotic species in America is:

Todd, Kim. 2001. Tinkering with Eden: a natural history of exotics in America. WW Norton. 302 p.