starling1 (starʻling)

[ iridescing dark-green on some parts, and steel-blue, purplish, or violet on others, and variegated nearly throughout with pale-buff or whitish tips of the feathers. The Common European Starling (Sturnus vulgar is). wings and tail are duller-black, the exposed parts of the feathers frosted silvered, with velvety-black and buff edgings. The bill is yellowish, and the feet are reddish. Immature, winter, and female birds are le lustrous, and more variegated with the ochery or tawny brown, and have the bill dark-colored. Starlings live much about buildings, and nest in holes of walls, crannies of rock, openings in hollow trees, etc. They are sociable and gregarious, sometimes going in large flocks. They are often caged, readily tamed, and may be taught to whistle tunes, and even to articulate words. The name starling is extended to all birds of the family Sturnidæ, and some others of the sturnoid series; also, erroneously, to the American birds of the family Icteridæ, sometimes known collectively as American starlings. The last belong to a different series, having only nine primaries, etc. The bird with which the name is specially connected in this sense is Agelæus phoænice us, the common marsh-blackbird, often called red - winged starling. The name of meadow - starling is often applied to Sturnella magna. See also cuts under Agelæinæ and meadow - lark. Looking up, I saw a starling hung in a little cage. "I can't get out - I can't get out," said the starling. Sterne, Sentimental Journey (The Pa port), 2. One of a breed of domestic pigeons which in color resemble the starling.-3. Same as rock - trout, 2.- American starlings. See def. 1.Black starling, a melanistic variety of the common starling.-Cape starling or stare (Latham, 1783), the black and white Indian starling of Edwards (1751), the contra from Bengal of Albin (1740), Sturnopastor contra: so called as erroneously described from the Cape of Good Hope (as l'étourneau du Cap de Bonne Espérance IMG:content-2009.jpg:[blocks in formation]