Unknown Bird In Tennessee, United States (1 Viewer)

I saw a bird in Tennessee a few days ago which looks eerily similar to the Common Blackbird or Eurasian Blackbird.

It was solid jet black, with an orangish yellow beak. After staring at it for a few minutes, I noticed that it had a green sheen on its wing feathers. This had not been obvious at first. It had no other markings or patterns.

I did not realize at the time that the common blackbird is not normally found in the united states.

I've looked at all the black colored birds in the united states... starling, cowbird, grackle, crow, raven, ect. Nothing matches. The starling's beak is too lightly colored and has patterns which would have been seen at that distance. The other birds have black beaks.

I have looked a birds from other countries and have seen no matches. Is it possible this could be a rare hybrid of a common blackbird and some other black bird which has a green sheen, such as a starling, cowbird, or grackle? And that it somehow flew to Tennessee. It seems unlikely but I know what I saw.

I wish I had gotten a picture but I didn't know how to use the zoom on my camera at the time.

I'll bet it was a Starling, a species which seems to confuse a lot of people.

andyadcock said:

I'll bet it was a Starling, a species which seems to confuse a lot of people.

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Agreed, it has to be a starling. . ..

Another for European Starling (greenish sheen, yellow bill, black feathers).

I saw another one a few days ago. It had a ring around it's eye. The ring was clearly feathers and not part of it's eye.

What was it doing? That might help if you saw it on the ground. Did it walk steadily or hop?