STARLINGS IN MY GARDEN

Of the three species of starling in Australia, 2 can be found in Victoria, and 2 in my garden. The common myna has been discussed in an earlier blog post, but I still have not talked about common starlings in my garden.
The common starling Sturnus vulgaris, like the common myna, is not native to Australia. It is native to Eurasia, and is one of the main introduced bird pests in Australia, though it is not as bad as the common myna. Thankfully, they are fairly rare in the suburb of Melbourne I live in. They are glossy black, with purple and green iridescence and a yellowish bill, as well as reddish feet. In autumn they have large white spots on the tips of their body feathers, and their bills are dark and legs are brown, but these colours and spots decrease with wear. During the breeding season, adults are glossy black and do not have any spots at all. Young birds are a duller grey-brown, and can be very confusing to new birders.
In my garden, common starlings are very rare. They will sometimes come to feed on the lawn, along with flocks of house sparrows and a few spotted doves and common mynas, when we are not in the garden. If we get too close to the windows, then they, along with the other birds in the flocks, will fly away. Sometimes, they can be seen up in the tall eucalyptus trees on the other side of the street my house is on.
Here is a photo of a starling in one of these trees, showing its many white spots.