Starlet
Description
With a body length of 19 to 22 cm, the starling is somewhat smaller than the blackbird. The tail is much shorter compared to the blackbird. The wings appear triangular and pointed in flight.
In basic plumage, the body feathers are blackish with a metallic green or purple sheen and have white to beige tips. The whole body appears brightly dotted. The wing and rrectrix are blackish brown with light brownish fringes, the secondaries also have a broad, shiny metallic fringe. The plumage is formed in spring by wearing off the light patches of the body plumage, the body is then blackish and shiny metallic. The beak is yellow in plumage and blackish in plumage. The legs are reddish brown, the iris of the eyes is dark brown.
The sexes differ only slightly, females are slightly less intensely shiny metallic in colour than males, and the dot pattern on the body is usually more prominent in females in the plumage. The base of the underbeak is blue-grey in males in nuptial plumage and whitish in females.
Freshly fledged starlings lack the metallic sheen, the body is earthy brown, only the throat is lightened to whitish. The wings and feathers are dark brown without metallic shine. The beak is dull brown, the legs dark greyish brown.
Habitat
In Europe the starling is widespread, it is only absent inside large closed forest areas, in completely cleared agricultural landscapes and at altitudes from about 1500 metres. Cities are also colonised up to the centres. Highest densities are reached in areas with groups of trees rich in cavities and neighbouring grassland for foraging.
The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_(Art)). The text is available on Wikipedia under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 14 December 2021
