THE STARLING 



Starling Family — Sturnidce 



Length: About S^/. inches. 



General Appearance: A short-tailed, long-billed black bird 

 with flecks of brown that look like freckles. 



Male and Female: Head purple, flecked with light brown 

 spots; body purple and green, the purple predom- 

 inating on back and sides, the green on the breast. 

 In summer, the upper parts and sides are speckled, 

 the breast and belly dark, and the bill yellow. In 

 winter, the upper parts are spotted with light brown, 

 the under parts with white; the bill is brown until 

 January, when it begins to turn yellow. 



Notes: Squeaks and gurgles, interspersed with pleasant musi- 

 cal notes. A flock of starlings make a great deal 

 of noise. 



Range: Numerous starlings live in the Eastern Hemisphere. 

 A number of them were brought to America in 1890 

 and released in Central Park, New York City. They 

 have increased in number and enlarged their range 

 greatly. They have spread northward and south- 

 ward; they are now reasonably common near Boston 

 and Washington, as well as New York and other 

 places In the East. 



IN the winter, starlings are easily identified, because 

 they are the only black birds smaller than crows to be 

 found in some localities. In the springs they may be 

 readily distinguished from grackles because they have 

 yellow bills, dark eyes, and short, square tails, while 



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