The starling is found in some medieval encyclopedias. It is a bird with stars on its feathers.

Hildegard von Bingen says: "Hold a dead starling over anything you suspect is poison. If there is poison, the starling feathers will separate and be moved, even though it is dead. If the bird were alive, he would sense pain from this and fly away. If there is no poison, his feathers will neither separate nor be moved." (Throop translation)