How to Tell the Difference Between a Starling and a Grackle

Yesterday a grackle arrived, and since we already have some starlings, I thought this might be a good time to show the difference between the two, which are often mistakenly identified as one another when they are young.

Notice that the inside of the grackle's mouth is distinctly red/pink.

By contrast, the starlings pictured below have bright yellow coloring on the inside of the mouth and grayer feathers.

Those pictures were taken eight days ago. As a side note, if we compare those with pictures taken today, we can see just how quickly these little guys develop.

Soon we will be able to release those starlings. A young robin is of course easier to identify; the orange coloring on the breast is a giveaway.