Is this a Starling?

[Donna]

It doesn't look like the rest of the Starlings at the suet. The others were irredescent, this one not!

[MAK]

It's definitely a starling Donna.

[Donna]

It's definitely a starling Donna.

Thanks MAK     but is it a juvie? Why is he different from the rest?

[MAK]

I don't know why. Sometimes they just look darker. Maybe it has something to do with what they eat or the lighting? Maybe a bird expert out there can tell us.   

[Donna]

I don't know why. Sometimes they just look darker. Maybe it has something to do with what they eat or the lighting? Maybe a bird expert out there can tell us.   

The ones here are black with shiny irredescent blues & purpleish like the one here:

Found this too:  LOL




Starlings know if you are watching them

May 1st, 2008 | weird

Starlings can tell if you are watching them, according to a study that has shown for the first time that starlings respond to a human’s gaze.

Starlings will keep away from their food dish if a human is looking at it. However, if the person is just as close, but their eyes are turned away, the birds resumed feeding earlier and consumed more food overall, according to experiments by Julia Carter and colleagues at the University of Bristol, reported today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences.

Could this be exploited to make a better scarecrow? “Starlings do seem to have a reasonably strong aversion to eyes, even to artificial eyes, but these birds are also very quick learners,� she says.

“Previous studies have shown that starlings will learn within a matter of hours to ignore even relatively elaborate bird scarers – these devices never do what a real predator would, they don’t actually chase the birds or present any other signs of danger, so the birds quickly learn to ignore them.�

[MAK]

That eye contact thing is interesting. When I lived in the country(Hamlin,NY) I had problems with them devouring my suet and pooping purple on everything. I had to stop putting it out! They also love taking baths. They are quite entertaining to watch but can be a real nuisance.

[Aafke]

I'm not an expert, but maybe he was very wet from all that snow?
Your starling looks exact the same as the ones I have in my garden.
greetings Aafke

[Donna]

I'm not an expert, but maybe he was very wet from all that snow?
Your starling looks exact the same as the ones I have in my garden.
greetings Aafke

So are you saying I have a Hague starling at the feeder??   

[Lizz]

I hate to sound dumb, but, this looks like a grackle to me.  They have the tiny wedge-shaped white marks on their feathers and do not "shine" like starlings do.

[Donna]

I hate to sound dumb, but, this looks like a grackle to me.  They have the tiny wedge-shaped white marks on their feathers and do not "shine" like starlings do.

My exact same thought when I first saw this bird. The spots threw me off as being a starling. Ok then

[Bird Crazy]

It is not a grackle trust me on this. It is a starling in its winter plumage. They get there shiny feathers in the spring. Search starling winter plumage and the pictures look just like yours.

[MAK]

Grackles are all black with irredescent heads and beaty yellow eyes, This is absolutely a starling.

[dale]

That is SO a starling. If you heard him, did he sound like he was getting paid more than all of us put together by the cellphone company to transmit text messages? That's a starling.

[Dumpsterkitty]

And, from Cornell

Color Pattern
At a distance, starlings look black. In summer they are purplish-green iridescent with yellow beaks; in fresh winter plumage they are brown, covered in brilliant white spots.

[Donna]

And, from Cornell

Color Pattern
At a distance, starlings look black. In summer they are purplish-green iridescent with yellow beaks; in fresh winter plumage they are brown, covered in brilliant white spots.

  That's it Ei....Thanks. I'm glad that's solved. Didn't know they changed plumage for the seasons.