Dear Rabbis,
The european starling is very common in Oklahoma. Which halachic authorities do not consider this bird to be the zarzir? Is this bird suitable for shiluah haken?Thank you for your precious time.
Dov Zvi Backer, Oklahoma City, OK USA
All that the Talmud tells us about the zarzir is that it possesses a crop and "dwells amongst the crows" (see commentaries on Perek Shirah for added insights into this). There are various disputes amongst the Rishonim as to which other signs it possesses. Rashi to Bava Kama 92b and Chullin 65a states that the zarzir is a bird called isturnil in Old French; Targum Otzer La'azai Rashi explains that this is the starling. Starlings often roost with jackdaws, which are members of the crow family; thus, the starling dwells amongst the crows. An alternative possibility is that the term orev has a narrower definition than all members of the crow family. Jackdaws themselves sometimes go to roost amongst rooks in autumn, so perhaps orev refers to ravens and rooks, and the zarzir is the jackdaw. However, the most straightforward explanation is that of Rashi, in which case the mitzvah of shiloach ha-kein would not apply.
Best wishes,
Nosson Slifkin
zoorabbi@zootorah.com
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