Shetland Starling
Shetland Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris zetlandicus) are recognisable only in their juvenile plumage which is noticeably darker than regular Starlings. They also have a slightly longer wing plus a slightly wider bill, but there is overlap. They were first described from Shetland as a separate subspecies in 1918 by Ernst Hartert who worked for Lord Rothschild at his museum in Tring. Starlings on St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides have similarly dark juveniles, but compared with Shetland, their wings are slightly shorter, and their bills are slightly narrower, so are sometimes described as intermediate. This juvenile was taken on Barra on the Outer Hebrides and has very dark plumage, though that yellowish hue on the face is where it has picked up pollen by trying to drink nectar from garden flowers. My only photo of typical juvenile Starlings are just starting to moult into adult winter plumage so they have spotty waistcoats, but you can see that the rest of their juvenile plumage is noticeably paler than this: www.flickr.com/photos/timmelling/50158172472/in/photolist
If anyone is particularly interested here are the biometrics taken from Witherby:
Male Starling Shetland
wing length 130-138mm, bill width 7.5-8.5mm (n12)
Male Starling Outer Hebrides
wing length 125-136mm, bill width 7.5-8mm (n12)
Male Starling Britain
wing length 125-132mm, bill width 7-8mm (n12)
Shetland Starling
Shetland Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris zetlandicus) are recognisable only in their juvenile plumage which is noticeably darker than regular Starlings. They also have a slightly longer wing plus a slightly wider bill, but there is overlap. They were first described from Shetland as a separate subspecies in 1918 by Ernst Hartert who worked for Lord Rothschild at his museum in Tring. Starlings on St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides have similarly dark juveniles, but compared with Shetland, their wings are slightly shorter, and their bills are slightly narrower, so are sometimes described as intermediate. This juvenile was taken on Barra on the Outer Hebrides and has very dark plumage, though that yellowish hue on the face is where it has picked up pollen by trying to drink nectar from garden flowers. My only photo of typical juvenile Starlings are just starting to moult into adult winter plumage so they have spotty waistcoats, but you can see that the rest of their juvenile plumage is noticeably paler than this: www.flickr.com/photos/timmelling/50158172472/in/photolist
If anyone is particularly interested here are the biometrics taken from Witherby:
Male Starling Shetland
wing length 130-138mm, bill width 7.5-8.5mm (n12)
Male Starling Outer Hebrides
wing length 125-136mm, bill width 7.5-8mm (n12)
Male Starling Britain
wing length 125-132mm, bill width 7-8mm (n12)