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Need Help IDing Juvenile Bird in Little Rock, Arkansas (1 Viewer)

D

drearazer

New member
Some cats were giving this little guy the staredown. He's got cute little tufts of wispy white feathers on both sides of his head. I'm a vet and have raised baby birds before, but I don't know what he is.
 

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I don't know why but I can't find in this bird the juv Common Starling we are seeing in large numbers on both sides of the Atlantic these days. Shape and color seem not that good.

Do you have a full picture of this bird ? Any Blackbird (Euphagus) nesting nearby ? I have no field experience of juv Rusty Blackbird (I least I don't remember ..) but can it be one ?
 
Doesn't look right to me for a Starling. Yellow beak is wrong for Starling. I've got 30+ juveniles in my garden, none look like that.
 
OK, I've been looking through my photos and I've found a younger fledgling. On this you can see the yellow in the beak, although not as much as the OPs.

So now I'm thinking Starling.
 

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I'm not saying it isn't a starling, the flattened forehead looks good, it's just a lot richer brown than usual, all the one's ive seen tend to be greyer.
 
Jimthetall said:
I'm not saying it isn't a starling, the flattened forehead looks good, it's just a lot richer brown than usual, all the one's ive seen tend to be greyer.
Click to expand...

It seems to depend on the light. I've got more photos of brown juveniles than grey. But nearly all were taken in bright sunlight(like the last one I posted).

It was just the amount of yellow in the beak that put doubt in my head.
 
I don't see why it isn't a very young starling. It is developing a long pointed gray bill but it's just out of the nest so its features are not completely developed.

Rusty Blackbirds don't nest anywhere near Arkansas.
 
I agree on juvenile starling, that was my first impression despite the extensively yellow bill- the remnant downy tufts on its head also point to it being very young.
 
drearazer said:
Here is another pictures, as requested.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I will join the juvenile starling camp as well. It is darker overall than any juvenile starling I have seen or can find a photo of, but everything else seems to fit, and I cannot think of any other good alternatives.

Best,
Jim
 
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