Wrong photo sorry- New Identification Please

General birdwatching discussion, help with bird identification, and all other things relating to wild birds and birding in NZ that don't fit in one of the other forums.
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FlyingKiwiGirl
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Wrong photo sorry- New Identification Please

Postby FlyingKiwiGirl » Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:43 pm

The farmer lady came to tell me she gave me the wrong photo! :roll: :lol: And those were sparrows!

So here is the correct photo- they look like starlings to me but she confused me, saying that they have been the same grey colour since they started coming about a year ago. Initially they were a large flock of 100 of so, now just a dozen or so.

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Charlotte
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Re: Wrong photo sorry- New Identification Please

Postby Charlotte » Sun Feb 17, 2019 6:28 pm

They do look like Starlings, similar to the juveniles we have had at home.
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kengeorge
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Re: Wrong photo sorry- New Identification Please

Postby kengeorge » Mon Feb 18, 2019 9:41 am

"Initially they were a large flock of 100 of so, now just a dozen or so" -Is this in Wellington? I've been noticing a decline in the number of starlings around Golden Bay too. Four or five years ago there were some big flocks around, now they seem to be down to groups of less than 6. We used to have a family group resident in the trees behind our place, now none. I had wondered whether it's related to the very active falcon pair we have here? Anybody else notice this too? If the decline is more general then there is something else going on.
Clinton9
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Re: Wrong photo sorry- New Identification Please

Postby Clinton9 » Wed Feb 20, 2019 12:29 am

Juvenile plumage of European starlings remain until February, then on February to March the birds are patchy as they moult their mouse-brown juvenile plumage for first adult plumages which look like adult female starlings, but with shorter and more round throat feathers.
By April these juveniles are in new adult plumages...beautiful glossy black, purple, green with white spots...hence the name "starlings" due fresh plumages look like starry night.

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