Comments on: What bird is this?

By: Peregrine Craig Nash

Peregrine Craig Nash — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:51:01 +0000

I reckon its a Blue Eared Glossy Starling

By: The Ridger

The Ridger — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:28:17 +0000

Anne G is right, now I think about it. The legs are wrong for a grackle. And the neck. I don't know what it is.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:59:32 +0000

I believe it is a Cape Glossy Starling, Lamprotornis nitens.It could be a Miombo blue-eared starling, but that would be very rare where this bird was seen, in South Africa.

By: Anne Gilbert

Anne Gilbert — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:34:47 +0000

It looks like a robin. A melanistic robin. Unless it's a European blackbird, which is closely related. It doesn't (quite) look like any sort of grackle to me. Of course, I haven't seen any grackles here in the state of Washington; I don't think grackles exist around here. But when I lived in Texas, I saw a lot of grackles, and though the coloring is right, it just doesn't look right! It could be a starling, though. I've seen lots of those!Anne G

By: sailor

sailor — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:37:28 +0000

It looks like a Carib Grackle to me.

By: The Ridger

The Ridger — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:27:28 +0000

I too think it’s a grackle. I just saw some great-tailed grackles in Texas, and this one resembles them, but I think it’s a common grackle.

By: DouglasG

DouglasG — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:12:04 +0000

I would say it is a common grackle (IE purple grackle) I think a greckle was a monetary unit used in Rocky and Bullwinkle.

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:07:51 +0000

Looks like a long-tail grackle to me.

By: Richard Parker

Richard Parker — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:30:52 +0000

It’s a goddam starling or one of near relatives (mynah, perhaps?)It might help if you told us where it came from.But it is intelligent, omnivorous, social, communicative, and all the rest of the crap that continually gets trotted out to show why we humans have spread as much (and been as temporarily successful) as the starling and sparrow families.

By: Tophe

Tophe — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:18:16 +0000

Rusty blackbird?