Starlings are a type of songbird found throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. They are medium-sized birds with short tails and pointed wings. Starlings are black with purple and green iridescent feathers. Their eyes can appear dark from a distance, but do starlings actually have red eyes?
Quick Answer
The quick answer is no, starlings do not have red eyes. The iridescent feathers on their bodies may sometimes appear reddish in bright light, but their eye color is dark brown or black.
Starling Eye Color
Starlings have dark brown or black colored eyes. The iris, the colored part of the eye, contains melanin which gives it the brownish-black hue. Their eye color helps camouflage their eyes within the black plumage on their heads.
Starlings’ eyes may sometimes appear reddish in certain light conditions. This is likely due to the purple and green iridescent feathers on their bodies reflecting light into their eyes. But the eyes themselves do not contain any red pigment.
Comparison to Birds With Red Eyes
There are some birds that do have red or reddish-colored eyes. Birds such as red-eyed vireos, white-eyed vireos, and eastern screech owls have eyes ranging from ruby red to orangey red. This red color comes from pigments such as astaxanthin and ketocarotenoids in their irises.
Compared to these birds, starlings lack any red or orange pigmentation in their irises. Their eye color is dark brown/black which provides camouflage against their black head feathers.
Starling Eye Adaptations
While starlings don’t have red eyes, their eyes are well-adapted for their lifestyle:
- Their eyes are located on the sides of their heads, giving them a wide field of view to watch for predators.
- They have good visual acuity to spot small insects and other prey while foraging.
- Their eyes can detect slight movements helping them catch moving prey.
- They have good color vision compared to other birds, useful when seeking out colorful fruit.
So while starlings don’t have flashy red eyes, their dark brown eyes allow for excellent vision and are well-suited to their behavior and environment.
What Do Starling Eyes Look Like Up Close?
Looking at a starling’s eye up close, you can see the following features:
- The iris is a dark brown/black color with a matte finish, unlike the glossy look of some black bird eyes.
- The large round pupil opening that expands and contracts to let in light.
- A ring of tiny bones called scleral ossicles that surrounds the outer iris. These help maintain the eye’s shape.
- The nictitating membrane, a clear inner eyelid that sweeps horizontally across the eye to moisten and protect it.
- Fine lashes along the upper and lower eyelids.
The starling eye does not have any tinges of red, orange, or pink when viewed up close. The overall coloration is a solid dark brown or black.
Do Juvenile Starlings Have Different Eye Color?
Young starlings have similar eye coloration to adults. The iris of hatchlings is dark from the time they open their eyes a few days after hatching. Juveniles going through their first molt into adult plumage maintain the dark brown/black eye color.
Juvenile starlings may appear to have lighter eyes compared to adults. Their irises are a similar color but can look paler against their overall lighter and grayer plumage. But the eye itself is still a dark brown/black shade.
Exceptions Among Starling Species and Subspecies
While most starling species do not have red eyes, there are some exceptions among subspecies found in isolated geographic areas:
Polynesian starling
The Polynesian starling (Aplonis tabuensis) is a subspecies found in the south Pacific. Some individuals of this subspecies have been observed to have reddish-brown eyes. However, this is still a dark brownish color rather than a bright red.
Seychelles starling
The Seychelles starling (Fregilupus seychellarum) is an endangered species found only in the Seychelles islands. Some individuals have been found to display orange-red eyes. This reddish coloration may be an adaptation among island subspecies.
Indian Hill myna
A subspecies of the common hill myna native to Southern India and Sri Lanka is reported to sometimes display reddish eyes. As this subspecies is found in tropical hill forests, eye color may be related to specific habitat conditions.
However, these are isolated populations and exceptions. The vast majority of starlings across the Northern hemisphere have dark brown or black colored eyes.
Function of Red Eyes in Birds
Some birds do display bright red eyes. Here are some of the potential functions of red eye color in birds:
- Camouflage in dark environments – Red eyes may help some nocturnal birds blend in during the day.
- Communication – In some species, red eyes signal dominance and fitness.
- Enhanced vision – Red oil droplets in retinas may improve contrast in dim light.
- Sun protection – Red pigments may protect eye tissues from UV damage.
Starlings are active during the day in open, urban environments so red eyes would likely not confer advantages for them. Their dark eyes are well-suited to their behavior and habitat.
Conclusion
After reviewing starling eye anatomy, variation, and function, the evidence clearly shows that starlings do not have red eyes. Their eye color ranges from black to dark brown. While starlings lack flashy red eyes, their dark eye coloration provides camouflage and keen vision important to their lifestyle.
There are a few rare exceptions among isolated island starling populations that display orangey-red eyes. However, the vast majority have dark brown or black colored eyes. So the quick answer remains: no, starlings do not have red eyes.
Starling Species | Eye Color |
---|---|
Common starling | Dark brown to black |
Daurian starling | Dark brown |
Purple-backed starling | Black |
White-cheeked starling | Brownish-black |
Seychelles starling | Orange-red in some individuals |
Polynesian starling | Reddish-brown in some individuals |
What Causes Red Eyes in Birds?
While starlings don’t have red eyes, many other birds do display red or reddish eye coloration. Here are some of the causes of red eyes in birds:
- Pigments – Red pigments like astaxanthin and ketocarotenoids in the iris cause red eyes.
- Blood flow – Increased blood flow to the eyes during breeding seasons can make some eyes appear redder.
- Reflective structures – Some birds have reflective plates behind the retina that cause eyes to glow red in light.
- Albinism – Lack of melanin leads to red/pink eyes in albino birds.
But these factors are not present in starlings. They lack specialized red pigments, reflective eye structures, or albinism that causes red hues. Their dark brown iris pigmentation is very common among songbirds adapted to temperate environments.
Starling Eyes vs. Cardinal Eyes
For comparison, cardinals are one species of songbird that does display bright red eyes. The difference lies in the pigments within the iris:
- Starlings – Only have brown/black melanin pigment in their irises which produces a dark brown eye color.
- Cardinals – Have additional red ketocarotenoid pigments in their irises which produces a bright red eye color.
This comparison shows how specialized pigments are responsible for red eyes in certain bird species. Starlings simply lack any red iris pigmentation.
Starling Eyes in Culture and Mythology
Starlings do not actually have red eyes, but they have sometimes been depicted or referred to as having red eyes in cultural works:
- In some Angry Birds games and media, the starling character is shown with bright red eyes even though real starlings don’t look this way.
- The poem The Starling by Edward George Dyson contains the line “The starling with the crimson eye.”
- Old European folklore sometimes paints starlings as thieves and associates them with mischief and red glowing eyes.
In these cases, red eyes seem to represent evil, mischief, or aggressive staring in the starling. However, their natural eye color is dark brown/black – red eyes are fictional.
Conclusion
To summarize the key points:
- Starlings have dark brown or black colored eyes, not red.
- The iridescent feathers sometimes cause their eyes to appear reddish in bright light, but the eyes themselves do not contain red pigments.
- Rare exceptions exist in isolated starling populations that evolved reddish eyes, but it is not the norm for the species.
- Their natural brown/black eye color provides camouflage and keen eyesight important for their behavior and environment.
So while starlings are remarkable songbirds, the evidence clearly shows that red eyes are found only in some starling subspecies and not the common starling itself. Their eyes are adapted perfectly to their temperate habitat with a color that matches their dark feathers.