European Starling in non-breeding plumage

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Location:  Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

Here is a little factoid about this very common bird that I'll bet you didn't know.  According to the entry for the European Starling on WhatBird.com's Field Guide to Birds of North America:

All of the 200 million European Starlings found in North America today are descendants of approximately 100 birds released in New York City's Central Park in the early 1890s by an industrialist who wanted to establish, in the U.S., all birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare.

Who knew??