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Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor) German name(s): "Einfarbstar" Size: 20-23 cm; wing span: 40-44 cm Body mass: 70-90 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: ca. 0.50

Europe: Family Group 26 Family Group 26 Table Crested Lark Thekla's Lark Zitting Cisticola Great Reed Warbler Eurasian Reed Warbler Sedge Warbler Marsh Warbler Savi's Warbler Icterine Warbler Melodious Warbler Cetti's Warbler Moustached Warbler Redwing Fieldfare Mistle Thrush Song Thrush Ring Ouzel Common Blackbird Common Starling Spotless Starling Rosy Starling Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Spotless Starlings are about the size of a Common Blackbird. The two sexes are alike, but their plumage varies between breeding season and eclipse. In breedingplumage they are glossy black with purple and/or greenish hues, depending on the infalling light. There are no speckles. During the breeding season there is one detail that distinguishes between the two sexes: The bill of males is yellow, with a blue-grey base. Females have a whitish base to the lower mandible. In eclipse both sexes are duller black, with inconspicuous dark-grey speckles. In eclipse the bill of both sexes is dark-grey. The irises are dark-brown. The legs and feet of both sexes, are greyish-pink in eclipse and bright-pink during the breeding season. Juvenile Spotless Starlings are all greyish-brown.

Taxonomy, classification See Spotless Starling at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Spotless Starling is available HERE . Spotless Starlings have a restricted range, from north-western (near-)coastal Africa to south-western Europe. Apart from local movements in altitude depending on the seasons, the Spotless Starling is sedentary throughout its range. The range in Europe is restricted to Iberia, the far South of France and the western Mediterranean islands (Balearic Islands, Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily). Spotless Starlings can be found in a wide variety of habitats, from woodlands, via paddocks, reeds along rivers, lakes and dams to urban centres.

Sightings Click here for sighting information J. Pires reports finding Spotless Starlings semi-regularly in various locations in southern/central Portugal. All sighting, photographic and audio information presented on this page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.

Photos

ADULT

BREEDING

PAIR

Lateral view of a pair of Spotless Starlings
Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
While in breeding plumage, males, here seen on the left, have a blue base to their bill, while females have a white base. Outside the breeding season the sexes look alike, with a plain dark-brown bill.
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Santa Justa, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, March 2020]

Pair of Spotless Starlings in breeding plumage with two dependent juveniles (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2020]

MALE

Frontal view of a male Spotless Starling in breeding plumage looking sideways; note the bluish-grey base of the bill (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2014]

Near-frontal view of a male Spotless Starling in breeding plumage landing on a branch (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Lateral view of a male Spotless Starling in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Molhe Leste, Peniche, Leiria, Portugal, May 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a male Spotless Starling in breeding plumage; note the bluish-grey base of the bill
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2014]

FEMALE

Near-frontal view of a male Spotless Starling in breeding plumage; note the yellowish-white base of the lower mandible
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2014]

Lateral view of a female Spotless Starling in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, April 2019]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Spotless Starling in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Badajoz, Spain, November 2021]

NON-BREEDING

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a Spotless Starling in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2015]

Lateral view of a Spotless Starling in non-breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2020]

Lateral view of a Spotless Starling in non-breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2020]

Flock of Spotless Starlings in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil Dam, Ponte de Sor, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

Comparison between Spotless Starlings, top, with a Common Starling in non-breeding plumage, bottom; of the four Spotless Starlings, 3 are adults (still) in breeding plumage, while the bird at the upper right is in eclipse (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mertola, Alentejo, Portugal, October 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a juvenile Spotless Starling; note the pale gape (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2015]

Near-frontal view of a begging precocial Spotless Starling; note the orange gape (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2015]

Lateral view of a begging precocial Spotless Starling; note the orange gape (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2015]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Apr - Jul

Eggs: 4 - 5

Incubation period: 11 - 14 days

Fledging age: ca. 21 days

The length of the breeding season depends on geographic latitude and starts in March in north-western Africa. Spotless Starlings can have 1-2 broods per season.

Nest building: Male & female

Incubation: Female (& male)

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

Type: Basket in hollow/crevice

Material: Straw, grass, leaves, feathers

Height above ground: ?

Male Spotless Starling at the entrance to its nest hollow (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, April 2019]

Eggs

Size: 31 x 22 mm

Colour: Glossy white

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Mob/flock

Although sedentary, Spotless Starlings also congregate in flocks (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2013]

Food, Diet

Lateral view of a Spotless Starling taking off with an olive (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2015]

Lateral view of a Spotless Starling picking flesh out of a fig (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2013]

Spotless Starling taking a mulberry (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Spotless Starling carrying food for its brood (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, April 2019]

Spotless Starling carrying food for its young - given the size of the mulberries, they may be for fledged chicks
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

splstar_jp_20200210.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact call(?)	© JP
splstar_jp_20220826.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls(?)	© JP
splstar_jp_20190606_2.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls(?)	© JP
splstar_jp_20190606.m4a	(Portugal)	Various	© JP
splstar_jp_20200515.m4a	(Portugal)	Various	© JP

More Spotless Starling sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.