European Starling Photo Gallery
Breeding adult
Chunky and blackbird-sized, but with a short tail and a long, slender bill. In flight their wings are short and pointed. Breeding birds are dark overall with purplish-green iridescent and yellow bills.
© Matt Davis / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, April 21, 2019Nonbreeding adult/immature
Chunky dark bird with a finely pointed bill. Nonbreeding birds have spots on their back and underparts. The bill is dark in winter, but begins to turn yellow as breeding season approaches.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, November 14, 2012Breeding adult
Makes a bewildering variety of sounds, from thin whistles to rattles to imitations of birds, including Red-tailed Hawks, American Robins, and many others.
© Matthew D. Medler / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 03, 2015Not all videos have soundJuvenile
Juveniles are pale brown overall with a dark bill. Adult feathers with white tips are growing in on the flanks of this individual.
© Volker Hesse / Macaulay LibrarySchleswig-Holstein, August 03, 2019Juvenile
Juveniles are pale brown overall.
© Emily Turteltaub Nelson / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, July 26, 2014Nonbreeding adult
Walks quickly, in hunched posture with head down, as it forages on lawns and grassy areas.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 06, 2015Not all videos have soundBreeding adult
Native to Europe, but introduced into New York's Central Park in the late 1890s, European Starling is one of North America's most common birds, with an estimated 200 million individuals.
© Josep del Hoyo / Macaulay LibraryDobrich, May 18, 2019Nonbreeding adult/immature
New feathers grown in the fall have bold white tips, giving birds a spotted appearance. By spring, these tips have worn away, and the rest of the feather is dark and iridescent brown.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, December 16, 2018Nonbreeding adults
Forms very large flocks in winter, sometimes with other species including blackbirds, grackles, and cowbirds. Note spotted plumage and blackish bills, characteristic of fresh winter plumage.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, December 11, 2015Not all videos have soundNonbreeding adult
Nests in holes in trees, birdhouses, or other artificial structures with holes or crevices. Nonbreeding adults are spotted above and below. The bill color changes from black to yellow and the spots are lost as the breeding season nears.
© terence zahner / Macaulay LibraryArizona, March 05, 2017Flock
Forms large flocks coordinating their movements with the flockmates nearest them, in a giant cloud called a murmuration.
© Christoph Moning / Macaulay LibraryBurgenland, September 25, 2011Flock
Gathers in large, noisy flocks during nonbreeding season, sometimes with blackbirds, grackles, and cowbirds.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, September 22, 2014Not all videos have soundCompare with Similar Species
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