 The common starling was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema <unk> in 1758 under its current binomial name . Sturnus and vulgaris are derived from the Latin for " starling " and " common " respectively . The Old English <unk> , later stare , and the Latin <unk> are both derived from an unknown Indo @-@ European root dating back to the second millennium BC . " <unk> " was first recorded in the 11th century , when it referred to the juvenile of the species , but by the 16th century it had already largely <unk> " stare " to refer to birds of all ages . The older name is referenced in William Butler Yeats ' poem " The <unk> 's Nest by My Window " . The International <unk> Congress ' preferred English vernacular name is common starling . 
