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Spotless starlings
Sturnus unicolor
38.8994, -3.72967
Field Notes
Description:
It is closely related to the Common Starling S. vulgaris, but has a much more restricted range, confined to the Iberian Peninsula, northwest Africa, southernmost France, and on the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica.
The adult Spotless Starling is very similar to the Common Starling, but marginally larger and has darker, oily-looking black plumage, which is entirely spotless in spring and summer, and only with very small pale spots in winter plumage.
Its legs are bright pink.
In summer, the bill is yellow with a bluish base in males and a pinkish base in females; in winter, it is duller, often blackish.
Confusion with the Common Starling is particularly easy during the winter when Common Starlings are abundant throughout the Spotless Starling's range.
Like the Common Starling, it walks rather than hops, and has a strong direct flight, looking triangular-winged and short-tailed. It is a noisy bird, and a good mimic; its calls are very similar to the Common Starling's, but are louder.
Habitat:
The Spotless Starling uses a wide range of habitats, and can be found in any reasonable open environment from farmland and olive groves to human habitation. The highest population densities are in open grazed Holm Oak woods, and in urban habitats
These ones were observed in a town in La Mancha called Almagro
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