Common Starling

🔍 Overview

Shiny and social, the Starling is a brilliant presence in Sussex fields and gardens. Known for its iridescent plumage and murmuring flocks.

🪶 Key Identification Features

Size: Medium (20–22 cm)

Plumage: Iridescent black with metallic purple/green sheen, speckled in winter

Distinctive Marks: Pinkish legs

Bill: Yellow in summer, dark in winter

Tail: Short

Flight: Direct with fluttering wingbeats

🗺️ Habitat & Distribution

Ubiquitous in towns, farmland, and hedgerows across Sussex all year.

🎶 Voice & Behaviour

Rich song with mimicry; loud chatter and harsh “ch-arr.” Murmurations of winter flocks at places like Brighton Marina and Pier are spectacular.

🍴 Diet

Invertebrates, berries, fruit, scraps.

📸 Birding Tip

Watch for shifting flocks in autumn—large evening roosts often gather in reedbeds or trees. the most famous place to see starling murmurations is along the Brighton Seafront between the two piers. Thousands of starlings gather here to roost under the piers during the winter months, creating a spectacular aerial display.