help identifying these birds

[haar_and_drizzle]

I have never seen these ones on my birdtable, what are they?
There is about 10-12 of them , large-ish (30cm) strong beak, light brown on top, slight yellow patch under chin, strong pointy beaK, and they guzzle breadcrumbs like there's no tomorrow!

[wildone]

To me they look like juvenile Starlings - Sturnus vulgaris. As the year progresses they will grdually become spotted on the body. Indeed more Starling like.
Wildone

[Eileen]

Yes they're definately young starlings.

[StuartDH]

We get about 500/600 starlings living around here for several months in autumn and every afternoon they raid the tree in our front garden to each take one berry before flying off to the next tree.

Despite seeing so many in October they are virtually non-existent at this time of year and so we never get to see them as really young juvenilles.

[haar_and_drizzle]

Ok, thanks, I thought starlings were smaller, though. maybe mutants? :lol

[Tinkerbell]

We too have had masses of these beautiful fledgling starlings in the garden. The colouring is much softer than on the adult, which I also like. Funnily enough, they do seem larger than their parents sometimes, possibly because their plumage is new, and it can be quite funny to see them seeking food from an adult, when they are more than capable of finding their own.

[StuartDH]

Here's a picture of one of the adults that I took a couple of years ago

[Pat]

I always think they're very much like minah birds, perhaps they are related to them, does anyone know if they are.

[henrya]

Pat,

Yes, Starlings and Minahs (Mynahs) are in the same Family (Sturnidae) and Subfamily (Sturninae), so as closely related as you can get without being in the same Genus (unless you go down to Tribes and Subtribes!).

henrya

[StuartDH]

Matt 1 has just uploaded a couple of great photos of juvenille starlings in the gallery...so close that you can almost touch them

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/ga...php?i=2019&c=5