I came across this charming scene at Creekview High School in Carrollton. These birds are part of a larger congregation of European Starlings and Brown-headed Cowbirds that were foraging together on the school’s athletic fields.

European Starlings seemed to find this puddle irresistible. The starlings would jump into the water from the curb, and then vigorously douse themselves with water. In turn, the birds would dunk themselves, then distribute the water by fluffing their feathers, and fluttering their wings. Water would fly everywhere. The splashing sounds make by this group were quite amusing as well.

After bathing, the starlings would leave to rejoin the larger group in the baseball stadium. Those that flew away were immediately replaced by new birds. Several hundred starlings must have cycled through this puddle over the course of the afternoon.

CountyDenton
CityCarrollton
DateOctober 23, 2011
Time of DayAfternoon
TemperatureWarm (70-89°F/21-32°C)
WeatherOvercast
HabitatCommunity-Church/School/Civic
Type of BehaviorBathing
GenderMixed
MaturityMixed
ObserverChris Jackson

3 Replies to “European Starling – Rub-a-dub”

  1. You don’t notcie how pretty starlings are unless you take the time to really look at them. All those metallic colors!

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