Unusual Bird: White-Tailed Starling
European Starling with white tail feathers shown feeding on a suet cage with a normal European Starling.
Categories: Leucistic birds
European Starling with white tail feathers shown feeding on a suet cage with a normal European Starling.
Categories: Leucistic birds
Comments
41 comments on “Unusual Bird: White-Tailed Starling”
Hi!! I have just seen a starling in my garden with a white tail is this rare as I have never seen one before
I saw one today with a flock forging in my backyard. I had to look it up. I’m in Groves, Texas.
February 15, 2025
Just saw one on the ground in yard where I threw out some breadsticks yesterday. Looked very much like a starling except for brilliant white top tail feathers. Tail feathers appeared about twice as long as typical starling. It flew up into a tree when I went out to attempt picture, which unfortunately I did not get before it flew off. I am in NW Ohio.
I am in North West England and a white hotel tailed Starling visits my bird table each day.
I just had one eating at my feeder. We’re in Mckean PA 16426, just outside of Erie. At first I thought it was paint, but not so. Beautiful!!!
Just saw one foraging out front. I went straight away to google to see if it’s an anomaly. Glad to see that others have seen it too. Grosse Pointe, MI.
Have had one by my bird feeder for a couple hours. Did not take o photo. Coleman, MI
I saw my first one this morning, only one of its tail feathers is white though.I am in Shetland UK.
Had a white tail starling on my suet feeder yesterday in SE England. Looked a little larger than the other starlings around, and the lower half of its body behind the wings and tail were brilliant white, tail was twice the length of normal starlings as well. Is this a cross-breed? There is a very large magpie presence in this area too, does cross breeding occur?
I believe I saw one today too. It was easily noticeable in the midst of the rest of the starlings that visit my suet feeder. Very awesome! ^_^°
We have had a white tailed startling in our feeders for 3 days. First time ever in Waukee Iowa
Definitely saw one on the ground by my feeder. In Mantua, Ohio
July 21 2018 Just seen a white tailed starling feeding in my garden Leighton buzzard Bedfordshire I thought it was rare but after checking on the internet I found that they have been spotted all over the UK
Hi live in Aylesbury
Had a white tailed starling in our garden feeding for about an hour beautiful site not the first time my husband saw it the other day as well .
I have just seen a starling with a white tail on my tree in my garden not seen one before i live in north yorkshire are they common ?
Hi Teresa, Occasionally a bird will lose feathers in a close call with a predator. When this happens the new feathers sometimes grow in white and then change back to the normal color at the next regular molt.
Full white tail on otherwise common looking starling in Louisville, Kentucky today. Feeding on the lawn with others starlings, doves and robins.
Just had a white tailed Starling at my feeder 5/19/19
I’ve been seeing what appear to be starlings with white tail feathers flying around in our soybean fields, probably eating insects.
white tailed starling at our feeder in northwest reno today
Saw what I think is a white tail starling today. Didn’t know they existed! I got a pic.
We have white tailed starling
First time ever white tailed starling in Northeast Michigan! It looks like a weird evolutionary blip – a regular starling in ever other way, with long, solid white tail feathers sticking out prominently! 🙂
We have a starling with long white tail feathers visiting our garden Chesterfield, Derbyshire in the UK. They’re so white I thought it had something stuck to it the first time I spotted it, but got a proper view today and it’s definitely the feathers.
I have a white tailed starling singing dramatically at the top of my pine tree. I had to record its singing into an app to learn what it was. I didnt know they could have white tails, this is my first sighting of it. I played its song back to it and it went nuts after, haha. Confirmed. South western Ontario, a day before spring !
white tailed large starling. Blenheim On. seen this bird 4 times this spring.
I saw one this morning in my back yard eating my piece of bread they had one feather that was all White It flew off before I could take a picture of it. In Battle Creek Michigan
Just seen a starling with white tail feathers at my feeder this morning – had to look twice, first time ever seen one! I’m near Diss in Norfolk, UK. Hope may see it again
I think there are several breads of this birds, I saw them in different Colors
We live in St Louis Mo. suburbs and have one with the whole tail whie…really likes our suet feeder!
First one for me to see white tail starling south central colorado looks like one feather 12/17/22
A white tailed Starling has been visiting my garden feeders since we had a terrible blizzard a week ago. The poor bird has a broken leg dangling from its body and holds its wing back but can eat and fly. I notice it has a white tail! Never seen one like that before. Very interesting!! I live in Fargo, ND
I live in southeast Michigan. This spring we have had a white tailed starling. At our bird feeder. We have never seen one before. Why does this occur ?
Hi Donna, thanks for reaching out! You can learn more about why birds have unusual plummage or deformities on our Unusual Birds page here.
I just saw a starling with two white tail feathers it is the only one here. All the rest are regular black starlings. It appears they are common on the east coast and England. I a in north eastern Colorado
Oak Lawn Illinois. Southwest suburb Chicago. Run three bird baths. One heated in winter. Last few weeks a Starling with white tail feathers has visited my yard. Never seen one before.
Just saw a white tailed Starling feeding in my yard. I’m very familiar with these birds, I raised two hatchlings a few years ago. Walland Tennessee (East Tennessee).
I also have a sparrow that lives in my yard with a long thick hooked beak that looks like an elephant! It’s thriving! I watch it eat at my feeder and uses it’s beak like a scoop. We named him Beaker.
We have had a White tailed starling all summer long that visits our feeder. Located in Dayton Ohio. His entire tail is white not just a few.
White tailed starling just now at our feeder in St. Louis. April 3 2024
April, 2024. I see a white tailed starling in my back yard regularly. I am in Toledo Ohio.
We just had one feeding with other starlings and red-winged blackbirds. Those white feathers are only on top of the tail and seem longer than the others’ tails. Very cool to see. Morgan, WI