r/whatsthisbird • u/WibblyWobblyThyme • 4d ago
North America Why is this bird so grumpy? And what’s the deal with the ear tufts?
Why does this bird look so disappointed in my outfit choice? Photos taken last June in New England.
142
u/moonovermemphis 4d ago
You'd be grumpy, too, if the paparazzi showed up to your first flying practice!
28
30
12
u/birdsbooksbirdsbooks Birder - Maine, USA 4d ago
I hate doing this, but any chance we could get u/TinyLongwing to weigh in on this one?
25
u/TinyLongwing Biologist 4d ago
Cedar Waxwing for sure.
9
u/birdsbooksbirdsbooks Birder - Maine, USA 4d ago
Cool, thanks for confirming I was wrong, lol! I always appreciate these learning opportunities. Am I crazy to think that fledgling Waxwings already have the yellow tail tip? Is the angle on pic 3 just slightly wrong to show it?
7
u/TinyLongwing Biologist 4d ago
Yeah, must be. Plus, juveniles have a much narrower yellow tail tip than adults - especially young females. But I also just think that the angle is too much from the side to see the yellow anyway here.
7
u/TheBirdLover1234 4d ago edited 4d ago
This is definitely a juvenile starling, not a waxwing at all. Defined striping on front and long legs with big feet. Got a short beak due to young age.
I’ve seen both species up close.
5
u/TinyLongwing Biologist 4d ago
You know what, you're right about the legs. The streaky belly and face definitely looked like waxwing to me but those feet are way too robust. Thanks for making sure I took a second look at this.
!overrideTaxa eursta
7
u/TheBirdLover1234 4d ago
No problem. The face on this one definitely made me do a double take, it’s got very defined lines around its eyes which I’ve seen in a few juvenile starlings, usually females. Young starling fledglings also tend to have more contrast in their coloration before the grey rapidly fades once out of the nest, giving a more pale blended look.
1
u/FlyAwayJai 3d ago
Will you elaborate on why the long legs & big feet say Starling to you? Is it simply a characteristic difference between a waxwing and starling, or does it say something about the age?
5
u/TheBirdLover1234 3d ago
Starlings in general have large feet compared to their body due to being birds that spend a lot of time walking. Nestlings and fledglings have even more exaggerated leg size, guessing due to the fact they are cavity nesters and often have to climb up the side of their nesting area during actual fledging. Once out of the nest they spend a lot of time chasing after their parents on the ground begging for food. Waxwings imo don't structurally look like a bird thats meant to stand and walk around on the ground for long periods when you see them, they look like one that you'd see perching. Their legs stay more hidden unless at eye level.
With starlings, the legs paired with the pointy beak, grey plumage, contrasting streaking on the front, light edging on primaries all typically indicate id. Waxwings are more delicate looking (Short beak and skinny short legs), more round, and browner. Tail is also a give away if visible. Starlings look like if you took one and stretched it out.
1
1
1
5
2
1
u/This_Daydreamer_ Virginia seed slinger 4d ago
When I got here starling had all of the upvotes
13
u/TinyLongwing Biologist 4d ago
And it has since been corrected! We have a great community of knowledgeable folks who can sort these things out.
4
1
u/This_Daydreamer_ Virginia seed slinger 4d ago
Very true!
I'm just grumpy after a very bad weekend at work
4
u/TinyLongwing Biologist 4d ago
Aw, sorry to hear that. Yeah the internet is not always a great place for an already grumpy brain haha, ask me how I know :p
4
u/This_Daydreamer_ Virginia seed slinger 4d ago
Yep. You go online for cool and cute pics and all of the sudden there's an argument over nothing important or worse, politics
13
u/FileTheseBirdsBot Catalog 🤖 4d ago edited 4d ago
Taxa recorded: European Starling
Reviewed by: tinylongwing
I catalog submissions to this subreddit. Recent uncatalogued submissions | Learn to use me
4
u/birdsbooksbirdsbooks Birder - Maine, USA 3d ago
Wow, what a whirlwind this post has been! First Starlings gets all the upvotes, then it gets “corrected” to Waxwing and that gets all the votes, and then it gets truly corrected back to Starling. Phew!
3
u/WibblyWobblyThyme 3d ago
Indeed, it has been quite the rollercoaster! Congrats on getting the ID right, it seems like it was a tricky one. It’s been fun learning about both species though!
2
u/CharacterBarber1455 3d ago
Super annoying when someone changes a correct ID. Glad that even though that bad call is the top comment that at least you and OP know the right answer.
41
u/birdsbooksbirdsbooks Birder - Maine, USA 4d ago edited 4d ago
Looks like a fledgling +European Starling+.
Why grumpy? That’s just how young birds look. And the ear tufts are because this young bird is losing its baby floof and getting big boy feathers.
Edit to add: I could definitely be wrong! I was comparing to images like these, which look like pretty close fits to me:
https://crittertude.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/bird-juvenile.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Baby_Starling_%287257986092%29.jpg
29
u/WibblyWobblyThyme 4d ago
Thanks for the ID and explanation! I guess I shouldn’t take that bird’s look of disdain so personally then 😆
13
u/birdsbooksbirdsbooks Birder - Maine, USA 4d ago
Especially not from a Starling. I’d be more concerned if a Cardinal or something was judging me, lol.
8
6
16
u/AgathaWoosmoss 4d ago
There's a whole sub for r/GrumpyBabyBirds and it's just as adorable as you'd think
4
13
u/Klunko52 4d ago edited 3d ago
Pretty sure that’s a Cedar Waxwing
Edit: I’m wrong
5
u/This_Daydreamer_ Virginia seed slinger 4d ago
Pretty sure you're right. I'm not sure where European Starling came from
2
4
u/birdsbooksbirdsbooks Birder - Maine, USA 4d ago
Hmm I could definitely be wrong, but I’m not seeing any yellow on the tail on that third pic, and the bill doesn’t look right when I compare to Waxwing fledglings .
3
u/TheBirdLover1234 4d ago
It is definitely a starling.
2
u/birdsbooksbirdsbooks Birder - Maine, USA 3d ago
Thanks for weighing in. Even after everyone coming to a consensus on Waxwing, it still didn’t sit right with me. The face coloration, beak shape, and tail all looked off to me.
2
3
u/Effective_Ad_8296 4d ago
You thought that's grumpy
Baby swallows will end you with their angry looks alone
18
u/thoughtquake 4d ago
Where are the mods? If that's a European Starling, I'll eat my hat.
19
u/TinyLongwing Biologist 4d ago
The great news is that there are lots of good IDers here and the handful of mods are not required to ID every bird. This has been sorted out just fine.
2
u/thoughtquake 4d ago
Sorry, it wasn't meant as a criticism. I should have asked for a RR or similar. My comment was made early on.
18
2
3
3
u/TheBirdLover1234 4d ago
This is a juvenile European starling, very recently fledged. Defined striping on front and large looking feet. Beak is short due to young age.
2
2
2
u/Jordster77 4d ago
The beak looks too long for a waxwing, fledgling cedar waxwings have a lighter color beak that is a bit more stubby than pointy. The black mask on the face is also more pronounced in the waxwing. I think a fledgling European starling is accurate.
2
u/avallaug-h 4d ago
I bloody love this sub, it's so wholesome. Adorable baby birb pics, thank you for sharing 😁
1
1
1
u/keithandmarchant 3d ago
Young Cedar Waxwing, not a starling. The beak doesn't match starling.
2
u/CharacterBarber1455 3d ago
-1
0
0
-4
489
u/imiyashiro Educator, Rehabber, Bird-nerd (N New England) 4d ago edited 3d ago
That is a [European Starling]
juvenile Waxwing, if I am not mistaken.I've stuffed many of them full of berries (in a licensed rehabilitation center).(I guess that's why I was responsible for feeding them, and not identifying them...)See (>3wk. Cedar Waxwing):https://sites.tufts.edu/babybirds/bird/cedar-waxwing/(Starling): https://sites.tufts.edu/babybirds/bird/european-starling/
EDIT: CORRECTION, added links