Yesterday, I saw this black bird in a tree on the driveway, and from a distance it looked like a Blackbird, but when I zoomed in, I realised that it was a bird I have never seen before. It wasn't even a juvenile Blackbird, because the beak is too long and pointed.
Then, I thought Starling, but although it showed a suggestion of spots, they were not so pronounced as a Starling. It's feathers were glossy black though, like a Starlings feathers. It seemed nervous, and only stayed a few seconds.
The branches kept getting in the way of a really good picture, and also the bird kept moving from branch to branch.
Here it just looks black, and I noted once again, how shiny the feathers looked. Starling never come up here, they can usually be seen in large numbers far away in the fields.
You can see a few tiny spots on it's feathers here, and on the first
photo so I am concluding that it is a Starling, and stand corrected if it isn't.
I now know the ID of this bird, thanks to David Gascoigne. It is a Starling, but a Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor. I must admit to never having heard of this bird before. I'm so grateful for the ID.
40 comments:
I do not know the names of birds so cannot approve or disprove your Starling. I do know its beautiful and if seen with naked eye would appear to be solid black but with your lens we can see the beautiful sparkles. i like the branches as much as the bird. so sharp and clear.
Hello Sonjia,
The Starling looks great, and it is beautiful photos you have taken of it. It is nice to see new birds.
Have a wonderful day!
Hugs, Marit
Hello Sonjia. Two "black" starlings are present in the Iberian Peninsula, Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor). The one shown here in your lovely photographs is Spotless Starling. I have never seen this bird, but I am quite confident that's what it is. I hope this is helpful. Hugs from Ontario. David
Really beautiful bird. In the spring, we will see them again in Finland.
I can't argue with you but....I have never seen just one Starling and they usually have their spots in the wintertime..I have no other suggestions..Not my favorite bird..Noisy and empty feeders in seconds..Usually in flocks of at least 50 at a time..They were here last week..Good pictures of it anyway!!
PS...If David says it's a Starling ..it is!! I never knew there were black Starlings.Always nice to learn something!! Enjoy your day!!
I spotted a flock of starlings when we were out driving yesterday!
Querida Sonia le hiciste unas fotos preciosas. Aquí en Asturias en invierno también se ven muchos. Besos y feliz febrero.
What a wonderful sighting Sonjia, I've heard of it but never seen one.
Take care,
Mike.
Beautiful bird!
Great photos!
such an interesting bird, i'm glad you got some help identifying it!! your tangled tree branches look just like mine!!
your images are beautiful!!
Starlings are in decline in the UK. How lovely that you have seen this variation, I hadn't heard of it :)
Beautiful photos of this black starling.
A special species that I have never seen.
Greetings Irma
Good morning dear Sonjia,
Great to see your back on the blog. I´ve missed you!!
Beautiful photo´s of the spotless Starling. I also did not know that it excist without spots. I have many "normal"Starlings visiting my garden.
Have a wonderful weekend ahead!!!
Rosehugs Marijke
Good afternoon Sonjia,
So good that you are back on the blog! Beautiful photo´s of the special Starlings. I did not know that they excisted without having the spots.
Have a wonderful weekend ahead
Marijke
Hello, Sonjia. What wonderful experience that was. You did well to capture that brief visit with your camera. I have been lucky enough to see Spotless Starling myself, while Lindsay and I were having lunch at an outdoor table at a cafe in Corsica in 2006. One of them had a badly deformed beak - it was nearly twice as long as usual and crossed at the end - I was surprised that it could survive. I was lucky enough to get photos (on film) too.
Thank you for bringing back memories.
Take good care and stay safe - - - Richard
Great photos of the Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor) very common I believe in Portugal, but seen only here in the South of France
Well done. Keep safe Diane
No matter if it lacks spots...it's a beauty!!
Hello Sonjia,
Lovely photos of your Spotless Starling. It would be a new bird for me, great sighting. avid really knows his birds, I am glad he could help with the id. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your weekend.
Hi Sonjia
Fantastic Starling without a spot, love that.
Nice work Sonjia. I have seen Spotless Starlings a number of times in Menorca and as you observed, they more wary than the Common Starlings. A species easily missed by the less observant!
What a beautiful bird! They can look so different in the different lighting. How nice to get a good ID! I have a couple I need help IDing! lol I always do! Happy weekend.
Por mi jardín también los hay y son iguales a este. Besos.
Really nice photos of a spotless starling. I've never heard of one before and looked it up. It's always nice to learn something new.
Well done to David and thank you for the ID.
You certainly shared some wonderful photographs of this bird.
All the best Jan
That’s a beautiful starling. I’ve never seen one. I think it should be named startling instead 😀.
Nice series o pictures... Regards
Photographing birds jumping around in the branches is a difficult task - I think you did a very good job. And I'm happy for you that you now know which bird that is!
Have a happy new week!
All the best,
Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/02/italien-reisebericht-ein-tag-in-florenz.html
Gorgeous 'feathered friends' photography ~ Xo
Wishing you love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
..David Gascoigne is a guru of the natural world! You captured this little fellow well. Enjoy your weekend.
Beautifully captured!
Birds do like to play hide and seek in the branches. Great shot! Haha … not too many of us can say we are "spotless" but this bird can. :)
Beautiful shots of the black Starling. I have seen some noisy black birds that look similar to this but don't their identity. They are too fast for me to take shots of them.
I have never seen an Iberian Starling so must conclude that David G is correct. Spring is coming and I have some buds peeking out in my back garden. Stay well.
Hello Sonjia, I like the way you snapped the photos and reasoned through to your conclusion that it is a Starling. Actually, you and David are both correct. David just narrowed it down to the type of Starling. Nice work to both of you. John
Beautiful photos!
The bird's feathers look silky black and great capture on the brief stay of the Starling!
Take care
Excellent ID skills nicely narrowed down by our friend David. I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten as far as you did in figuring it out by yourself. Nice that your birds are coming back, the weather must be getting better!
This is a species that must have been overlooked in the UK. There are some records but not enough. I need to look harder. Thank you Sojia for reminding everyone to look closely at "starlings".
I am so impressed with this bird. There is a huge shopping center nearby my home and it is called Starling Mall. Today I just discovered from your post that Starling is a bird.
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