Rose-coloured Starling, Sturnus roseus

Local status: Very rare vagrant

This gaudy, irruptive species from the south-east of Europe is likely to turn up anywhere that Starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, gather, including suburban gardens. The first record was feeding on grass on the Grimston Bar traffic roundabout and must have been a completely unexpected sight for the observer. This bird was then recorded in a garden at Haxby, but evaded detection between the two dates and afterwards.

Records:
2002: Stillington, 14th June. Adult.
2001: Grimston Bar, York, 22nd June, then Haxby, 30th June. Adult.