Starlings are familiar, scruffy looking birds, & although adult Starlings look black their plumage is actually iridescent. In winter, male Starlings are heavily spotted white & this spotting wears away as the feathers become worn towards spring. The female Starling is identifiable being less glossy & oily looking than the male, with broader spots some of which they keep all year round. You can also tell the sexes apart by the colour of the base of their bills (if you can get close enough!) – Blue for males & pink for females. Juvenile Starlings look like a totally different species with a mouse-brown plumage.