Identifier: keytonorthameric00coues (find matches)
Title: Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and Lower California, with which are incorporated General ornithology: an outline of the structure and classification of birds; and Field ornithology, a manual of collecting, preparing, and preserving birds
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Coues, Elliott, 1842-1899
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: Boston, Estes and Lauriat
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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idte,from which distinguishedby the presence of tenprimaries, the first shortor quite spurious. Theonly form with which wehave here to do is tliegenus Sturnus, belong-ing to the 28. Subfamily STURNIN/E: Typical Starlings. STUKNUS. (Lat. .stur-nus, a stare or starling.)Starlings. Bill shajiedsomewhat as in Sturnellaor Icterus, but widenedand flattened; rathershorter than head; cul-men and gonys aboutstraight, both gentlyrounded in transversesection, and at the tip;the culmen rising highon the forehead, dividingprominent antite whichextend into the well-marked nasal fossae; aconspicuous nasal scale,overarching the nostrils ;tomial edges of mandiblesFlG.27-. —The Starling. (From Dixon.) dilated, especially those of the upper mandible ; commissure (djtusely angulat^^d ; sides of lower mandible extensively<lenuded and somewhat excavated ; feathers filling the interramal space ; n(» bristles about thebill. Wings long and pointed; 1st primary spurious and very small; 2d and 3d longest,
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STUBNID^—STURNIN^: TYPICAL iSTAULINGS. 427 rest rapidly gnuluated. Tail of 12 feathers, einargiiiato, little more than half as loijg as thewing. Feet short; tarsus of strictly oscine podotheca, scutellate and laminiplaiitar, about aslong as middle toe without its claw. Lateral toes of subequal lengths, their claws fallingshort of base of middle claw; hind claw about as long as its digit. Plumage metallic andiridescent, the feathers all distinctly outlined.O. S. vulgaris. (Lat. vnlr/aris, vulgar, common. Fig. 277-) Im-; .Starling. Adult: Gen-eral plumage of metallic lustre, iridescing dark green on most parts, more steel-blue on theunder parts, and Aiolet or purplish-blue ou the f )re parts ; nu)re or less variegated throughoutwith pale ochraceous or whitish tijis of the feathers. Wings and tail fuscous, the exposedparts of the feathers somewhat frosty or silvery, with velvety-black and pale ochrey margin-ings, the former within the latter. Bill yellowish ; feet reddish. Young and in

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