I visited a taxidermy shop here is PA, and saw a mount with 5 European Starlings sitting on a branch. I was curious as to why anyone would want to mount that introduced trash bird but I kept my mouth shut to be polite. I noticed that half had dark colored beaks and the remaining had yellowish ones. I asked about the beak colors and was told that they were summer and winter phases. The man didn't know why they changed color with the seasons. He said they just do. Thought I would ask the experts on this one. How about it guys? I know you're not ornithologists but I was curious.
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For us yes they are trash birds. In Europe, I have seen them on the dinner menu. Huess then yopu did not make it to the WORLD show, two very excellent mounts of Starlings were there. As for why to mount them, why mount anything then is a 4 lb bass or even a 200 point B&C deer mount not just a beat my chest, look at my testosterone ego trip? See me I am great hunter, aaaahhhheeeeeahhhh,ooooooo well thats as good a Tarzan yell as I can do here.
I'm confused. Starlings don't breed in the winter, why a bright
colored beak in the winter? Or do I have it backwards and its light
color beak in the SUMMER?
Such dear little birds!
In the winter they are heavily spotted and have darker beaks. In the summer the spots wear away, leaving more of the irridescent colors visible. Their beaks become yellow with blue shadings.
I understand they can be breasted out and served broiled on toast. A strip of bacon is pinned over them before cooking and they are eaten bones and all! I read this, honest!
Nancy M.
The common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a noxious bird in America. It interspecifically competes with many native cavity nesters, to include the wood duck and the hooded merganser. Since being released in Central Park in New York city, they have spread like a plague on the land, driving native birds from their path like the horsemen of the Apocalypse. The male Starlings have the bright beaks in their adult plummage. The only thing they are good for in this environment is fly tying. Four and twenty black birds baked in a pie should become a nation anthem.
There is one good point for beginners. There is no law existing to protect this species. Aim well and shoot all you can.
Jason,
Your observation indeed shows that there is variation within individuals at a given place and time. All birds do not display the same characteristics, hence further study is needed even on these "trash" birds. Classical Ornithologists continue to collect, prepare and study all species of birds. I went over this morning and examined our collection of study skins of Sturnus vulgaris. Suprisingly we only had 160 study skins of which I had only done 30. Museum Collections are the best source to examine individual variation over time and space. We had in the collection starlings from the 1890's to recent, California to New York, and January to December. I didn't have the time to complete a proper study, but it appears that in certain months in certain individuals the beaks are much yellower than at other times. Most of the yellower ones were collected in February through June, and generally coincided with adult plumage. There were instances that individuals just molting from the juvenale plumage did have reasonably bright yellow bills, and other totally mature birds in prime mating season the traditional dull color. The one Albino I prepared in 1987 had a very light bill as would be expected. I did not compare the sex vs color, and this was an oversight that I apologize for.
Starlings would present an interesting study in the founding effect. Whenever a species is introduced to a new environment with few individuals, as Mr. Gaither pointed out, the gene diversity is limited and the individuals only retain certain characteristics of the original population. It would make a great Master's thesis examining the variation within the United States compared to Europe, and all the other endemic populations where they have been introduced around the world, primarily by the Bristish Empire. One very interesting study done a while back was that of the House Finch. Many years ago this California species Carpodacus mexicanus was introduced out east forming a founding population. It spread eastward gradually replacing (By intraspecific competition) the Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus (Which I liked better) in most peopled areas. It gradually moved West at the same time the Western species followed man east. They met in Kansas in the 1980's with slightly different songs and slightly different physical characteristics. Sorry I don't know the final paper but it formed a great Dissertation at the University of Kansas. Maybe some other pseudo-ornithologist would know the citation.
One artifact of modern man, however, may be affecting the bill color in Study Skin collections. Prior to the 1930's there was very rarely any use of a freezer to store a bird prior to preparation. Nowadays, Museums often store birds for long periods before they are prepared (usually in a different freezer in a diiferent museum or donor's freezer). I have noticed that long term storage can effect the bill color and feet color of on quite a number of birds. Most Taxidermists have noticed this on ducks where they remained in the freezer for more than 5 years. I have made study skins of birds as old as 17 years from date of collection. Somehow as the water and or fat is slowly drawn out over time it brings the pigment to the surface and deposits it there. Very long term stored ducks often do not need to have the bill or feet painted. The most drastic color change I have noticed is with color of Scarlet Tanager Beaks, and feet of Sharpies.
One final statement before you begin your study on beak colors of starlings. Do not forget to take into account the possiblity of food items in Beak Color. A large number of birds have their plumage color and bill color influenced by particular food items. Everyone is familiar with Flamingos requiring the food item of crustaceans and the like to have more beautiful red color. But even common birds can have the color affected. One final story before I get to work.
In the early 1980's our banding station in Western Pennsylvania began observing cedar waxwings having much oranger tail feathers than normal. Initially the color change was noticed but thought that it was just variation over time and space allowing for migration of slightly different races not yet elevated to subspecies status. But it was most obvious when an individual resident bird had lost one of its retrices and the replacement feather came in yellow on an orange tipped tail - Something was going on. First, the ornithologists here began an examination of study skins here to see when the phenonemen began, as well as examination of Bombicilla cedrorum from the USNM, ANSP, AMNH, MCZ, MZ, etc. through loans and letters of inquiry. It truned out that you could actually plot the orange tipped feathers through time (about 1957? on) and space (to Michigan and south to North Caroilina I think). Ultimately, the carotenoid pigment was identified by Alan Brush and tied to the berries of a particular shrub that was introduced by the various Game Commissions to help Ring-necked Pheasants and other birds survive the winter. When the bird consumed this food item coinciding with feather growth the color was deposited, if not consuming it, the replacement feather was yellow.
Thus Jason, investigate time, space, affects of age and sex, geographic variation, and food items, and you might have a reasonably good idea of the beak color variation in the species Sturnus vulgaris which is not a blackbird, but just as lovable.
Good luck with your study!
I must point out that I have only had ornithology once many years ago, and only play ornithologist on the web (one of the ologists making up a Complete Taxidermologist).
Lighten up Bill!
I was kidding! Starlings often annoy the heck out of me and I have shot them when necessary. Still, I would like to hand-raise one and teach it to talk. That would remove it from the breeding population as well, but here in WA it is illegal to keep one for a pet. It's OK to kill them though.
Nancy M.
Do you have a boyfriend ? Or married ? I think I'm in LOVE....