White-cheeked starling Coloring Pages

A Familiar Bird in the City! White-cheeked starling!

The White-cheeked starling is a very familiar bird with a black head and tail, and a brown body. Especially in winter, you can often see many White-cheeked starlings gathering in the evening sky and flying together in a flock. Their calls might sound a bit noisy, but they are actually very smart birds that do lots of interesting things.

Where Can You Find Them?

White-cheeked starlings live all over Japan. They used to live mainly in farmland, grassy fields, and forests, but recently they have come to live in cities and neighborhoods too. You can see them gathering with their friends, perching on street trees and power lines in the city.

Their Calls

The call of the White-cheeked starling is very unique. They make a slightly raspy sound that sounds like "Gyaa-gyaa" or "Kyoo-kyoo." White-cheeked starlings are great at copying the sounds of other birds, frogs, and even ambulance sirens! They are very talkative and communicate with their friends using many different voices.

How They Hunt

White-cheeked starlings walk on the ground and mostly eat insects.

• Searching on the Ground: They walk around on the ground looking for insects like earthworms and grasshoppers to eat.
• Hunting in Flocks: By hunting together in big flocks, they can find much more food than when they are alone.

What They Eat

White-cheeked starlings are omnivores, so they eat many different things.

• Insects: Earthworms, grasshoppers, and caterpillars are their main foods.
• Berries and Fruits: In autumn and winter, they also eat tree nuts, berries, and fruits like cherry and persimmon.
• Leftover Food from People: White-cheeked starlings living in the city sometimes eat leftover human food too.

How to Choose Colors: Show Off Their Soft, Fluffy Feathers!

When you work on your White-cheeked starling coloring page, the key is to show its cute shape and calm colors. Try using brown and black, and think about where the light shines and where shadows fall. This will make your picture look so real!

• Body colors:
  • Head and tail: Color the head and tail black. Mix in a little dark gray to make the color look nice and deep.
  • Body: Color the body brown. Feathers have tiny white spots, so leave a few little white spaces!
  • Leave a little bit of light brown on the back and upper belly where the light hits.
  • Layer dark brown or black on the lower belly and inside the legs where shadows fall. This makes the body look round and fluffy!
• Eye color:
  • A White-cheeked starling has cute, round black eyes. Add a tiny white dot to look like shiny light, and your bird will come to life!
• Beak and leg colors:
  • Use yellow or orange to color the thin beak and legs nicely.
• Background colors:
  • You can often see the White-cheeked starling in towns or on power lines. It is fun to draw a sky-blue background or city streets!

How to Add Depth: Think About Light and Shadows!

A White-cheeked starling has a small, round body. If you use light and dark colors and add shadows, your coloring page will look super lively!

• Where to use light and dark colors:
  • Picture where the light hits the round body, and leave those spots a little lighter.
  • Use dark and light colors to color the feather patterns to make it look real.
• Where to put shadows:
  • Shadows fall under the neck, on the lower belly, and inside the legs.
  • Color these places with dark brown or black to make the body look round and 3D!

Tips for Colored Pencils, Crayons, and Paints!

• Colored pencils:
  • Press hard to color dark, or press lightly to color light. This makes it easy to show shade!
  • Layer other colors like black or white on top of brown to make a rich color.
• Crayons:
  • Crayons are great for making feathers look soft and fluffy. You can even rub the colors with your finger to blend them!
• Paints:
  • Paint the whole body light brown first. Once it dries, add the feather patterns with dark brown. This keeps your painting neat and clean!

Use your imagination and free ideas to finish your very own wonderful White-cheeked starling coloring page!