European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

I took this photograph of a European starling in Montgomery Township, perched on the very tip of a young pine. Through the lens it looks black. Just black, especially against a hard blue sky. But in Adobe Lightroom Classic I noticed it wasn’t just black.

In the summer, the feathers carry a greenish iridescence that only shows itself at certain angles, a shimmer of oil-on-water colour hiding inside what looks, from a distance, like soot. In winter, the same bird trades that shimmer for dark feathers tipped in white, so the whole bird looks speckled rather than sleek.

This seasonal change is interesting. The bird’s physical structure remains the same. It is the same starling behaving in the same way, but its appearance changes twice a year. Until this photo I had not noticed this difference.

I think there’s a lesson here about paying attention. This one sat on its perch long enough to catch a hint of that green sheen along the wing.