The Common Starling is a compact, short-tailed passerine with a pointed triangular bill and a fast, running gait. The plumage changes dramatically between seasons but is always metallic and glossy.
Male: in breeding plumage sooty black with a green and purple metallic sheen; the bill yellow with a bluish base (male) or a pinkish-yellow base (female). White feather-tip spotting that wears off during the season, so the male appears plainer and glossier in June–July.
Female: similar to the male but with more white spots, a slightly duller sheen and a pinkish-yellow bill base.
Juvenile: uniform grey-brown, without metallic sheen, with a paler throat and dark bill — looks like a completely different species; moults into adult plumage in late summer.