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Starling and English Sparrow Hunting in Pennsylvania
European starlings and English sparrows have no closed season and no limit. This guide gathers the starling calendar, limits, licenses, legal arms and public land.
Photo: greenebriar (Public domain)
The one exception: they may not be hunted during the regular firearms deer season, Nov. 28 to Dec. 13. Both are listed under "Other" in the PGC species classes, alongside crows and mute swans. No public tract names them, so the lands below are the ones that list small game.
What the Game Commission highlights
- No closed season or limit except closed during regular firearms deer season.
When starlings and English sparrows are open
1 dated segment for starlings and English sparrows, each with its length and the Sundays it contains. WMU codes link to the unit guides.
| Season | Unit | From | Through | Days | Sundays in | Open? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No closed season | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | 365 | 52 |
Notes printed with the dates
- No limit; may not be hunted during the regular firearms deer season (Nov. 28-Dec. 13).
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission seasons and bag limits and the 2026-27 digest, checked October 12, 2026.
Starling and English Sparrow take, day and season
Limits for starlings and English sparrows as quick figures and as the PGC prints them.
Limit for starling and English sparrow
No limit.
Where pest bird shooters find public ground
Starlings and English sparrows are not named on any tract, so the list shows the 87 that name small game.
| Tract | Type | Counties | WMU | Size, acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohiopyle State Park | State Park | Fayette | 2C | 20,000 |
| Moraine State Park | State Park | Butler | 1A | 14,000 |
| Hickory Run State Park | State Park | Carbon | 3D/4C | 13,000 |
| Laurel Ridge State Park | State Park | Somerset, Westmoreland, Cambria | 2C | 13,000 |
| Cook Forest State Park | State Park | Clarion, Forest, Jefferson | 2F | 11,000 |
| Pymatuning State Park | State Park | Crawford | 1A | 10,300 |
| Ricketts Glen State Park | State Park | Luzerne, Sullivan | 3B/4E | 10,287 |
| Raccoon Creek State Park | State Park | Beaver | 2A | 7,000 |
| Oil Creek State Park | State Park | Venango | 2F | 6,800 |
| French Creek State Park | State Park | Berks, Chester | 5C | 6,000 |
| Lehigh Gorge State Park | State Park | Carbon, Luzerne | 3D/4C | 6,000 |
| Prince Gallitzin State Park | State Park | Cambria | 2E | 5,600 |
| Tobyhanna State Park | State Park | Monroe, Wayne | 3D | 5,200 |
| Blue Knob State Park | State Park | Bedford | 2C | 5,000 |
| Bald Eagle State Park | State Park | Centre | 2G | 4,910 |
Other starling ground, by size
Hillman State Park (3,650 ac) · Nescopeck State Park (3,500 ac) · Nockamixon State Park (3,500 ac) · Swatara State Park (3,500 ac) · Elk State Park (3,150 ac) · Black Moshannon State Park (3,000 ac) · Shawnee State Park (3,000 ac) · Codorus State Park (2,800 ac) · Gouldsboro State Park (2,700 ac) · Tionesta Lake (2,619 ac) · Kings Gap Environmental Education Center (2,500 ac) · Yellow Creek State Park (2,300 ac) · Laurel Hill State Park (2,200 ac) · McConnells Mill State Park (2,200 ac) · Gifford Pinchot State Park (1,945 ac) · Beltzville State Park (1,700 ac) · Little Pine State Park (1,700 ac) · Locust Lake State Park (1,700 ac) · Kettle Creek State Park (1,640 ac) · Prompton State Park (1,400 ac) · Sinnemahoning State Park (1,400 ac) · Promised Land State Park (1,300 ac) · Mount Pisgah State Park (1,100 ac) · Tuscarora State Park (1,100 ac) · Maurice K. Goddard State Park (1,075 ac) · Clear Creek State Park (1,000 ac) · Evansburg State Park (1,000 ac) · Marsh Creek State Park (1,000 ac) · Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area (975 ac) · Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center (937 ac) · Lackawanna State Park (900 ac) · Ryerson Station State Park (900 ac) · Susquehanna Riverlands State Park (900 ac) · Big Pocono State Park (800 ac) · Keystone State Park (800 ac) · Parker Dam State Park (800 ac) · Salt Springs State Park (800 ac) · Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area (780 ac) · Caledonia State Park (740 ac) · Chapman State Park (700 ac) · Frances Slocum State Park (700 ac) · Denton Hill State Park (650 ac) · Cowans Gap State Park (630 ac) · Vosburg Neck State Park (575 ac) · Canoe Creek State Park (550 ac) · Lyman Run State Park (505 ac) · Erie Bluffs State Park (500 ac) · Raymond B. Winter State Park (487 ac) · Poe Valley State Park (450 ac) · Warriors Path State Park (349 ac) · Linn Run State Park (300 ac) · Little Buffalo State Park (300 ac) · Kinzua Bridge State Park (275 ac) · Worlds End State Park (265 ac) · Varden Conservation Area (256 ac) · Leonard Harrison State Park (250 ac) · Simon B. Elliott State Park (230 ac) · Sizerville State Park (200 ac) · Greenwood Furnace State Park (188 ac) · Whipple Dam State Park (114 ac) · plus 12 smaller tracts
Starling and English Sparrow by county
- Potter County5 tracts
- Luzerne County4 tracts
- Wayne County4 tracts
- Bedford County3 tracts
- Carbon County3 tracts
- Centre County3 tracts
- Cumberland County3 tracts
- Huntingdon County3 tracts
- Monroe County3 tracts
- Schuylkill County3 tracts
- Somerset County3 tracts
- Westmoreland County3 tracts
- York County3 tracts
- Butler County2 tracts
- Cambria County2 tracts
PGC State Game Lands GIS, DCNR forest and park hunting pages and federal managers (PGC layers), retrieved 2026-10-12. Species lists are what each manager names; area rules still apply.
Legal requirements for starlings and English sparrows
The starling rules below come from the digest, the license page and the reporting page.
Licenses
License costs for starlings and English sparrows this year.
Daily hours
Pest bird shooters may shoot from 30 minutes before sunup to 30 minutes after sundown, the Game Commission window for small and big game.
Fluorescent orange
The orange list does not name starlings or English sparrows; any small game hunting at the same time follows the small game orange rule.
Sunday status
Sundays count: all Sundays within the starling dates are legal hunting days. How Sundays work
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission 2026-27 digest, license types and harvest reporting, checked October 12, 2026. Pennsylvania hunting laws · License guide.
Starling and English Sparrow weapons and methods
Read the arms table with the season table above: the legal gun depends on the segment.
| Season | Legal arms | Off limits |
|---|---|---|
| Small game | Manual and semiautomatic shotguns 10 gauge or less, 3-shell capacity; manual and semiautomatic rifles and manual handguns .22 rimfire or less; air guns .177-.22 (woodchucks at least .22) with single projectile; muzzleloading rifles/handguns .40 or less and shotguns 10 gauge or less; bows and crossbows. No magazine limit on semiautomatic rifles. | BB ammunition; shot larger than No. 4 lead/No. 2 steel. Rifle/handgun caliber limits (except air guns) do not apply to woodchucks. |
| Air guns | Air or gas rifles and manual air handguns .177-.22 for small game; at least .22 for woodchucks and furbearers. | Big game; BB ammunition. |
Field rules for starlings and English sparrows
Safety zones
Unlawful to hunt, shoot, trap, chase or disturb wildlife within 150 yards of an occupied residence, camp, farm building, school, day-care or playground without occupants' permission, or to shoot into a zone. Archery/crossbow zone 50 yards (still 150 yards around schools, playgrounds, day-care). No hunting on hospital/institution grounds or cemeteries. No firearm discharge within 150 yards of a PGC vehicle releasing pheasants.
2026-27 digest, sporting arms and unlawful acts pages, checked October 12, 2026.
After starlings and English sparrows, try these
Starling and English Sparrow questions, answered from the PGC
Can starlings be shot during rifle deer season?
No. Starlings and English sparrows are closed from Nov. 28 to Dec. 13, the regular firearms deer season.
Do pest bird shooters have to wear orange?
The orange list does not name starlings or English sparrows; any small game hunting at the same time follows the small game orange rule.
What time does legal light end for starlings and English sparrows?
Pest bird shooters may shoot from 30 minutes before sunup to 30 minutes after sundown, the Game Commission window for small and big game.
What can I hunt starlings and English sparrows with?
Small game: Manual and semiautomatic shotguns 10 gauge or less, 3-shell capacity; manual and semiautomatic rifles and manual handguns .22 rimfire or less; air guns .177-.22 (woodchucks at least .22) with single projectile; muzzleloading rifles/handguns .40 or less and shotguns 10 gauge or less; bows and crossbows. No magazine limit on semiautomatic rifles.
May pest bird shooters go out on Sundays?
Sundays count: all Sundays within the starling dates are legal hunting days.
How many starlings and English sparrows can one hunter take in Pennsylvania?
No limit.
Can starlings and English sparrows be hunted all year?
All year, July 1 through June 30.
What public ground holds starlings and English sparrows?
87 tracts on our list qualify; the largest are Ohiopyle State Park, Moraine State Park and Hickory Run State Park.
Which permits apply to starlings and English sparrows?
Pest bird shooters need: Resident Adult Hunting License ($20.97); Nonresident Adult Hunting License ($101.97).
Kit for hunting Starling and English Sparrow country
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Before the starling trip
The Game Commission’s season page is the final word on starlings and English sparrows; this guide was checked against it on October 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: TheTurducken (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Mountain-Prairie (Public Domain Mark 1.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (CC BY 2.0); DaPuglet (CC BY-SA 2.0); Enoch Leung (CC BY-SA 2.0); USFWS Mountain-Prairie (Public Domain Mark 1.0).