Short-tailed vs. Asian Glossy Starling, Bali (1 Viewer)

[Madlog]

Hello everyone,

I have (another) ID help request from Bali, where I currently am.
I photographed a group of Starlings. Both Short-tailed and Asian Glossy occur here fairly frequently. The photo was taken today, 1. of Feb 2024, in the Ubud area.
I couldn’t find great help online for separating these two species. The angle from below makes judging tail and bill length difficult without experience and since most were juvenile birds, I am not sure about plumage color.

Would be happy to learn which one it is and why !

Cheers,
Stefan

 

[THE_FERN]

0183 seems to have green gloss on its head which should mean it's Asian glossy

 

[James Eaton]

gloss is heavily dependent on the light. Easiest way to separate them is bill shape and size - your birds have weak, small bills = Short-tailed Starling (on Bali elevation is some help, though foothills both can occur).

James

 

[Madlog]

Great, thanks for the input and explanations!

Stefan