Rooftop European Starling

Here's a picture of a European Starling from last autumn. These are generally the birds of murmuration fame [1]. In the picture this starling is in its winter (non-breeding) plumage. This consists of dark but speckled feathering; in breeding plumage they lose the speckles but gain a shiny look like this pair.

Although we're used to many birds having breeding and non-breeding plumage, some birds like our European Starlings also change their beak color durinng the year. In warmer weather their beaks are a light yellowish color but in winter it becomes essentially black. It's possible that the black beak, containing beak-strengthening melanin, may help them crunch hard seeds during the winter. (In the summer they preferentially eat softer invertebrates.)

Depending on the angle, their beaks can look fairly long. If someone who's not very bird-knowledgeable tells you they have a "black woodpecker" in their yard, they might really be seeing a starling [2].

October 8, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 249885081, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] I've heard that murmurations are generally caused by a large flock that's under attack by a bird of prey, like a Peregrin Falcon.

[2] It's very hard to ID a bird from the description of someone else. Either the descriptions are misleading or else there are a bunch of Eagle Peacock, Cardinal Woodpecker, and Bluebird Mallard hybrids out there.

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