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Photograph of a European starling perched on the slender branches and needles at the top of a tall conifer with other conifer tops visible and a blue morning sky in the background. The starling is facing right with its bill tipped slightly up and one eye is visible. European starlings have black breast feathers that flash iridescent green and purple in the right light, dark wings with brown edging, dark eyes, sharp yellow beaks, and brown legs and feet. They have pointed feathers on the breast and head that can be raised and lowered creating a spiky appearance with each feather giving the impression of a porcupine's quill. In fall, starlings shed their iridescent feathers and the new feathers are dark blacks and browns. The tips of the feathers on the head, neck, chest, and abdomen end in white tips or spots that stand out against the blacks and browns.