I stand corrected (and happy to have learned something new, thanks, Scott): European Starlings are NOT in the same family as grackles...I was using the term "family" loosely, thinking "blackbird" family as the starling is found on the same page as a Red-winged Blackbird in the American Bird Conservancy's Field Guide, "All the Birds of North America," 1997. I see now that starlings are not blackbirds; rather, they are grouped in the "blackbird-size straight bills" group in said book.
On Fri, Sep 11, 2015 at 10:35 AM, Scott Haber <scotthab...@gmail.com> wrote: > Sandy, > > Starlings aren't blackbirds. They're in their own unrelated family. > > Best, > Scott > > On Fri, Sep 11, 2015 at 10:02 AM, Sandy Wold <sandra.w...@gmail.com> > wrote: > >> I have been watching goldfinches a lot lately, but I wonder if they were >> doing what I recently saw a mob of chickadees and a nutchatch do recently. >> Nuthatch came first, then a mob of chickadees followed; all landed on my >> patio umbrella and were going crazy, gleening something from the underside >> of the umbrella underside where the rods insert into canvas pockets. They >> spent about ten minutes doing this. After they left, I went up close to >> see if I could figure out what they were eating, but saw nothing. I can >> only figure it was some kind of insect or insect egg, and the canvas was >> completely clean. Perhaps the goldfinch saw some kind of insect eggs or >> insect hatchlings in the corner of those windows??? >> >> Regarding the headless nestlings, I have heard the grackles bite off the >> heads of baby birds. I've noticed that Starlings have returned to urban >> trees this week, after having been gone all spring and summer. Being >> blackbirds, perhaps they do that too? >> >> Sandy Wold >> Fall Creek, Ithaca >> -- >> *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* >> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> >> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> >> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> >> *Archives:* >> The Mail Archive >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> >> Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> >> BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> >> *Please submit your observations to eBird >> <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* >> -- >> > > -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
