About Creatophora cinerea (Meuschen, 1787)
The wattled starling, Creatophora cinerea, measures 21 centimeters in length, with a short tail and pointed wings. Its plumage is mostly grey, with the exception of a white rump and black flight feathers and tail. Breeding males have a white shoulder patch and a distinct head pattern: bare yellow skin, plus black forehead and throat wattles. The development of these seasonal features becomes more prominent as the bird ages, and some older females may display a weaker version of this breeding plumage. Non-breeding males have a fully feathered head apart from a small yellow patch behind the eye. They lack wattles, but have a black moustachial stripe, and their white shoulder patch is much smaller in size. Females and juveniles have plumage similar to that of non-breeding males, but their flight feathers and tail are brown. The combination of black flight and tail feathers and a white rump makes this species easy to identify when it is in flight. This species produces a variety of wheezing or grating calls that are similar to those of the common starling; its most commonly heard call is a wheezing ssreeeeo.
