European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in North America often achieve high densities in urban regions and compete with other cavity-nesting species for nest sites, including the rapidly declining red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). However, at a continental scale, European starling populations are unrelated to trends in red-headed woodpeckers. To assess whether urbanization influences population trends of cavity-nesting bird species and the relationship between European starlings and other cavity-nesting birds, we compared population patterns within the highly urbanized region of Cook County, Illinois, USA (which encompasses the city of Chicago) with data from surrounding rural counties. We used data from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) spanning 1970–2017, and i) quantified population trends of 19 cavity-nesting species, and ii) examined the patterns of relationships of each of these species with European starlings. Models fit to population trends over time with a variable for urban/rural location included were selected over models without urban/rural location for 14/17 species in the BBS and 14/15 species in the CBC. Starlings showed population declines in both urban and rural BBS and in urban CBC, while they increased in the rural CBC. Red-headed woodpecker populations declined across every survey set and location. Contrary to predictions, the counts of some species in surveys were significantly positively correlated with European starling population trends, while none were significantly negatively correlated. Our findings suggest that urban and rural locations add information to population trends of cavity-nesting species, and that European starlings have little negative impact on cavity-nesting birds in either rural or urban locations, suggesting that habitat loss and other factors are likely greater impacts on red-headed woodpeckers and other members of the cavity-nesting guild.

北美的欧洲八哥（Sturnus vulgaris）通常在市区达到很高的密度，并与其他巢穴物种争夺巢穴，包括迅速下降的红头啄木鸟（Melanerpes erythrocephalus）。但是，在大陆范围内，欧洲八哥种群与红头啄木鸟的趋势无关。为了评估城市化是否会影响鸟巢鸟类的种群趋势以及欧洲八哥和其他鸟巢鸟类之间的关系，我们比较了美国伊利诺伊州库克县（包括芝加哥市）高度城市化地区的种群格局来自周围农村县的数据。我们使用了1970-2017年间的“鸟类繁殖调查”（BBS）和“圣诞节鸟类数量”（CBC）的数据，i）量化了19种巢穴物种的种群趋势，ii）检查了每种物种之间的关系模式与欧洲star鸟。在BBS中选择14/17物种，在CBC中选择14/15物种，选择适合于人口趋势的模型，其中包括城市/农村地区的变量，而不选择没有城市/农村地区的模型。ling鸟显示，城乡BBS和城市CBC中的人口都在减少，而农村CBC中的人口却在增加。在每个调查集和地点中，红头啄木鸟的数量都在下降。与预测相反，调查中某些物种的数量与欧洲star鸟种群趋势呈显着正相关，而没有一个物种呈显着负相关。我们的发现表明，城市和乡村地区为巢穴物种的种群趋势提供了信息，而欧洲八哥对农村或城市地区的巢穴鸟类几乎没有负面影响，