During the winter months it is not uncommon for me to see large flocks of European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). When the lighting is poor, they appear to be entirely black in color. When the sun is shining brightly, however, I am sometimes able to see the speckles in their feathers and a shiny iridescence that often looks greenish or pinkish in color.
This starling was part of a flock that I spotted on Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The birds were foraging high in the trees and most of them flew away as I approached. This one hung around for a bit longer than the others, allowing me to capture these shots that highlight markings pretty well.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “All the European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York’s Central Park in the early 1890s. The birds were intentionally released by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. It took several tries, but eventually the population took off. Today, more than 200 million European Starlings range from Alaska to Mexico, and many people consider them pests.”
Another fun fact that I learned on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website relates to the feathers of this cool-looking bird. “Starlings turn from spotted and white to glossy and dark each year without shedding their feathers. The new feathers they grow in fall have bold white tips – that’s what gives them their spots. By spring, these tips have worn away, and the rest of the feather is dark and iridescent brown. It’s an unusual changing act that scientists term “wear molt.””
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
This is really interesting. I have a small group of starlings that come to my feeders, and I’ve always assumed the ones with the ‘spotted’ appearance were juveniles. It never occurred to me that the same birds could have such a different appearance.
That’s very interesting! Have you ever seen a murmuration of starlings? I’ve seen small ones but there are videos of really large murmurations in the UK on YouTube. They wheel and turn and appear to be one shifting organism moving through the sky. It’s quite a sight.
This fellow is quite handsome. And the sky is such a brilliant blue!
Yes, the biggest murmurations are extraordinary, and truly exhilarating, to witness.
Great shots! They really do emphasize the colors perfectly. I didn’t know they changed colors through wear molt. Thanks for adding that interesting fact!
Beautiful capture of the plumage.
Thanks, Laura. Lighting is one of the factors over which I have almost no control, so it is nice to be able to take advantage of a situation when the lighting is favorable.
Starlings are under-rated birds, perhaps because they’re a common, familiar sight. When the light catches them just right they are absolutely beautiful. Your photos do them justice.