Starlings and Grackles

[deckardcanine]

Both starlings and grackles are dark-colored passerines
Moving in big, noisy groups.
They’re often together and often confused
With each other (or other birds, oops).

The fully grown starlings have glossy black plumage,
The younger ones more brownish gray.
In winter, their backs have a starry night look,
With light spots breaking out all the way.

Male grackles have glossy black plumage as well,
But the females are light to dark brown.
The head of a starling is brown and black mostly.
A grackle’s is blue all around.

While grackles have yellow eyes, starlings’ are dark
(Gray for females and brown for the males).
The grackles have shorter and less pointy wings
But sport longer and orange-hued tails.

You may have been told that a grackle bill’s dark
And a starling bill’s yellow, but bummer:
The bills of male starlings change color by season;
The yellow is just for the summer.

Besides, female starlings have bills that are pink,
Which could also describe starling legs.
The grackles have dark legs. It’s also worth noting
That starlings lay less speckled eggs.

A grackle makes rapid, machine gun-like calls.
To a human, the sound’s harsh and loud.
The starling, a songbird, makes plenty of bird sounds
In movies; it ought to be proud.

Since grackles are cousins to ravens and crows,
They are apt to remember your face.
They walk more than hop and will fly in a V.
There, those tips are enough for this space.