What bird & Flower is this?

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jack57 Posted: 11-10-2009 3:07 PM

I've asked before and forgot... what bird is this?

 And what flower is this. It appeared out of nowhere and is the last flower standing in my backyard.

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narnian replied on 11-10-2009 3:17 PM

Hi Jack,

The bird is a starling in its Fall/Winter plumage. In the Spring they are all black with a bright yellow beak...the winter spots (stars) are what give this bird its name,

I don't know about the flower...looks like some kind of Chrysanthemum, but someone else will have to confirm that!

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jack57 replied on 11-10-2009 3:37 PM

narnian:
The bird is a starling in its Fall/Winter plumage. In the Spring they are all black with a bright yellow beak...the winter spots (stars) are what give this bird its name,
Thanks! How do they change beak colors? I know feathers can change, but beaks?

So that is what is nesting above our bedroom in the spring. They're black (purple sheen on head in certain lighting) and yellow beak.

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narnian replied on 11-10-2009 4:25 PM

Jack...

Many birds change bill colors in winter and spring...

The goldfinch changes from an orange yellow in summer to dark in winter.

Starlings begin to change from the dark color bill  in February. They start to turn bright yellow for the breeding season. The base of the lower beak becomes bluish in males and pinkish in females. This change is from the sex hormones that prepare the birds for breeding. Levels of these hormones increase as the days get longer.

Many other birds change bill colors also.

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Swordbird replied on 11-12-2009 1:06 PM

The Bird (as Narnian said) is a European Starling.

--Sunshine

"Birds are born to have wings; wings are symbols of freedom."

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