ID this bird please.

I was out practicing my BIF shooting and got a shot of this bird. It was taken in South East Michigan about a week ago in a marshy area.This is my first year shooting birds,so I have a lot to learn about birds and shooting them. So if you know what this bird is I would appreciate you telling me.

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Nice catch. It looks like a female Red Wing.

canonloader wrote in post #8746137
Nice catch. It looks like a female Red Wing.

Thanks Mitch! I guess it would make sense because I was in a marshy area. Funny thing is I didn't see any male Red Wings that morning.

Most of ours left a few weeks ago, but I suppose some could still be around, especially in Southern Michigan. It could also be a female Yellow Headed Blackbird, they do look similar, but it's probably a Red wing.

Nice shot! Welcome to the bird section

Your bird is actually a European Starling.

I think it's the female redwing, not a starling. imo

This bird is definitely a European Starling.
RWBB have longer tails and broader wings. The female is light-brown with darker brown streaks across its belly, a different facial pattern, with a broad, light "eyebrow" and a smaller, lighter bill.
The bird in the picture is a textbook European Starling in non-breeding (winter) plumage. The blackish, somewhat iridescent plumage, the grayish head and the heavy, long black bill.

I do see what look like Starling speckles now, but don't recall Starlings having a reddish fringe to the wing feathers. That really looks like a Red Wing thing.

I wish i could have gotten a better shot so it would be easier to ID.

The beak looks a bit short to me for a starling

I just went though my Starling shots, and this could be a young adult, still changing into it's adult non-breeding plumeage. I don't have any shots of them at this age though, but the red fringe is in adults and juvies, Ephily is always right though, so I will go with his ID.

All my shots show a much longer beak though.

Is it possible the slight angle makes the beak look shorter?

Or motion blur, making it look like the beak is compressed. It looks like a young/adult European starling. They have irridescent feathers white and gilded looking tips/borders, turning to brown/redish tips/borders and finally fading into regular feather colors as they age.. In this stage, they are particularly beautiful.

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bird zilla calls this stage winter plumage.