I saw a sad sight today during my lunchtime jog—a dead grackle. Or was it a starling? I'll get to that in a minute.
Source: Australian Department of Agriculture and Food
Some interesting facts about the Starling (from All About Birds):
I was making my way down to the trail along the Charles River when I saw what I thought was an injured bird in the middle of the road. It was just sitting there and I figured it was just stunned or maybe had an injured wing. The bird probably didn't have much of a chance, but the least I could move it out of the road. As I got closer to the bird I saw it had its mouth open and then I realized the gruesome truth—it was dead and was frozen in that position. I just got shivers thinking about it. The poor thing.
Anyway, so it got me to thinking 'What is the difference between grackles and starlings?' I use the two interchangeably and haven't really made an effort to sort it out. Until now.
I like to use All About Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as an online resource. The site is comprehensive and easy to use. (I also really like the 'Cool Facts' feature.) Here's what I found out:
The main difference is that the Starling has a short tail and yellow bill, while the Grackle has a black bill and a long 'keel-shaped' tail.
Starling
Source: Australian Department of Agriculture and FoodGrackle
Source: Audubon.org
http://www.audubon.org/news/pressroom/cbid/BirdList.html
Some interesting facts about the Starling (from All About Birds):
- All of the birds you see in the U.S. are descendants of 100 birds originally released in Central Park in the 1890s.
- Females and males are very difficult to tell apart- one seemingly helpful trick is the eye ring since females have a distinctive yellow eye ring; however, some males 4 years old and older can develop it and older females can lose it.
- If a female does not get a mate early enough in the season she might lay an egg in another female's better-made nest to help her offspring's chance of success.
Some interesting facts about the Grackle:
- They will follow plows through fields to pick up bugs and mice.
- They will wade into water to catch small fish.
- They will even kill and eat other birds at bird feeders. (Crazy!)
- Engages in 'anting'- a symbiotic relationship with ants that secrete an acid that helps prevent parasites
So after doing my research I've determined it was a Starling. I've always had the two mixed up! The Starling's mottled plumage seems more 'grackle-y' to me.
Strangely enough when drove down the road later that day the bird was gone.
Comments
I had a flock pass through my yard recently too. It can be a little scary sometimes.
ALL BIRD LOVER
Starlings have yellow bills only in breeding plumage. Their speckles are part of their non-breeding plumage; the speckles are actually light tips on the dark feathers; these tips mostly wear off during the winter months, so that in spring the starling is mostly blackish with a greenish sheen and a few very small speckles. Juveniles are grey-brown.
There are several varieties of grackle; the one you pictured is a Common Grackle. (Used to be called Purple Grackle.) In all grackles, makes are iridescent black and females are brown-grey or some variant thereof.
Grackles are native songbirds and are thus protected. Starlings are an introduced species and have become pests; in particular, they have displaced native bluebirds from nest cavities.
Here's how I remember the identification of these guys...
I think "BLACK" = "GRACKle"
(because the Grackles have black feet and bills)
And when I think of STARlings, I think of the yellow-hued STARS I used to draw as a kid (...and Starlings have yellow legs and sometimes bills).
http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/regulationspolicies/mbta/MBTANDX.HTML
Here is a list of federally protected songbirds: http://www.pacificwildlife.org/info/online%20docs/fmbtalist.pdf
Here is where it says it's unlawful to kill them: http://www.fws.gov/alaska/ambcc/ambcc/treaty_act.htm
Careful where you get your information! :)
http://www.sialis.org/mbta.htm
Just because a person is against shooting migratory birds does not make them against the second amendment. It makes them a bird lover and a law abiding citizen besides. Mr T, why so hostile? Your grammar is not correct, btw. You must not HAVE studied grammar in high school. : ) See, not so nice.