Starling
by Robert Bales
Title
Starling
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
Found this starling on one of my morning walks in the Foothills, Arizona which is near Yuma.
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage. Starlings are native to Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Several European and Asian species have been introduced to these areas as well as North America, Hawaii and New Zealand, where they generally compete for habitats with native birds and are considered to be invasive species. The starling species familiar to most people in Europe and North America is the common starling, and throughout much of Asia and the Pacific, the common myna is indeed common.
Starlings have strong feet, their flight is strong and direct, and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects and fruit. Several species live around human habitation and are effectively omnivores. Many species search for prey such as grubs by "open-bill probing", that is, forcefully opening the bill after inserting it into a crevice, thus expanding the hole and exposing the prey; this behaviour is referred to by the German verb zirkeln (pronounced [ˈtsɪɐ̯kl̩n])
Plumage of many species is typically dark with a metallic sheen. Most species nest in holes and lay blue or white eggs.
Starlings have diverse and complex vocalizations and have been known to embed sounds from their surroundings into their own calls, including car alarms and human speech patterns. The birds can recognize particular individuals by their calls and are currently the subject of research into the evolution of human language.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uploaded
December 12th, 2017
Statistics
Viewed 969 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/18/2024 at 11:09 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
Comments (12)
Ann Horn
Excellent detail of the starling and the branches on which it is perched. Beautifully composed as well.
Don Columbus
Congratulations Robert, your work is Featured in "Birds In Focus" I invite you to place it in the group's "2017 Featured Image Archive" Discussion!! L/Tweet
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Don for the wonderful feature, congrats, and the invite!! Also thanks for the LTw!!
Don Columbus
Congratulations Robert, your work is Featured in "A Birding Group - Wings"! I invite you to place it in the group's "2017 Featured Image Archive" Discussion!! L/Tweet
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks so much Don for the feature, invite and the congrats along with the LTw!!
Joseph Hollingsworth
Never knew Starling's had so much detail in their feathers. Very nice capture fav
William Tasker
Starlings are so pretty and you nailed this image to prove it, Robert! Your beautiful image has been featured by Wild Birds Of The World, a nature photography group. L/F
Robert Bales replied:
They sure are William and thanks for the nice comment and the feature along with the LF!!