Birdie

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1. 1
   

   ianqui

   October 10, 2010 at 12:03 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

   Sorry if this is disappointing, but I’m going to guess it’s just a starling in winter plumage. I was surprised that the head is so brown, but that may be because it’s a juvenile (e.g. http://www.pbase.com/upupa/image/84967504).

   I’ll be interested to know if I’m wrong.

2. 2
   

   jc

   October 10, 2010 at 2:54 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

   Starling.

   ugh.

3. 3
   

   Comrade PhysioProf

   October 10, 2010 at 2:56 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

   Ugh? Is there something bad about starlings I should know?

4. 4
   

   Almudena

   October 10, 2010 at 2:56 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

   Without wearing my glasses, I initially thought it was a Chanel design for Winter Fashion 2011. But no, you are right. II think is a juvenile MALE first winter. Nice picture. Thanks for the birdie.

5. 5
   

   Brenda

   October 10, 2010 at 3:11 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

   Unpaired males begin to build nests in order to attract single females. Males often decorate the nest with ornaments (such as flowers) and fresh green material which the female later disassembles upon accepting him as a mate. The males sing throughout much of the construction and even more so when a female approaches his nest.

   So, Be a Singer, be a lover………..

6. 6
   

   leigh

   October 10, 2010 at 3:15 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

   yeah, that’s a young one alright, his first winter. starlings are generally disliked because they’re invasive and out-compete songbirds for nesting and food resources. you can find them around my location in mobs of nearly 70-80, picking through lawns.

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   Brenda

   October 10, 2010 at 3:20 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

   Sorry Leigh

8. 8
   

   what/about/this

   October 10, 2010 at 3:34 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

   [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH_tBnVuPlk&fs=1&hl=en_US]

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   Comrade PhysioProf

   October 10, 2010 at 3:39 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

   Jeezus fucken motherfucke! That music is fucken abysmal! Is that swill popular?

10. 10
    

    ginger

    October 10, 2010 at 7:46 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

    Introduced species to the US, affects native species by outcompeting them for nesting habitat and by running them off. (Same problem in Australia.)

    Also they travel in enormous flocks that crap on everything, eat everything, spread weeds, make a huge racket, make holes in 747s, and terrorize other birds.

    But taken just as birds, not as invaders or avian gangsters, they’re actually pretty cool – mimics (if you’re in the city and you hear a bird making a car-alarm sound in its song, it’s probably a starling), super-social and reasonably smart, iridescent plumage.

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    ianqui

    October 10, 2010 at 8:18 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

    Also, totally uninteresting in NYC because they’re super common (along with all of that invasiveness pointed out above). Starlings, sparrows, mourning doves–they’re all pretty much pigeon-like in their interestingness.

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    Isabel

    October 10, 2010 at 8:48 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

    “Also, totally uninteresting in NYC because they’re super common (along with all of that invasiveness pointed out above).”

    Actually it is sort of interesting, especially if the picture was taken in Central Park. The first breeding population was released in the park, in the 1800′s I think, by homesick Europeans. Now it is one of the most common birds in North America.

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    DrugMonkey

    October 10, 2010 at 10:17 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

    What? That little stinker was introduced by Europeans to wipe out our honest American songbirds? To the ramparts!!!!!

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    LadyDay

    October 11, 2010 at 4:11 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

    Poor thing. It has no idea what a bunch of humans are saying about it on the internet right now.

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    bob reed

    October 11, 2010 at 5:43 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

    LadyDay,

    Maybe you can provide some links to those internet comments so that we can accompany the poor thing in that human adventure.

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    jc

    October 12, 2010 at 7:18 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

    Ladyday, that poor thing is wondering where your car is so he and a hundred of his friends can shit on it!

    I attended a school that had “Four OClock Raids” every day where gun blasts and firecrackers would go off all over campus to clear the starlings out. By then, every single car was already covered completely in shit. Good luck walking to class. Some people carried shit-covered umbrellas.

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    LadyDay

    October 12, 2010 at 10:17 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

    It’s a love crap, jc. Love crap.

18. 18
    

    Pascale

    October 14, 2010 at 5:06 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment

    Interesting story about how starlings came into the US. Seems some brilliant soul had the idea to release pairs of every bird mentioned in the works of Shakespeare in Central Park during some festival. The Bard completely dissed starlings, but they got the same treatment.

    I kind of respect anything that can adapt as well as these critters.

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    bob reed

    October 15, 2010 at 5:24 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment

    Yes, some of those critters adapt quite amazingly