I just saw what looked like a common starling at first, similar colors, but with a very long bill.

[hunter]

2. No.

I'm looking on the internet too...

The bird's bill was absurdly long and slightly curved, but otherwise the rest of the bird was very similar in size and shape to the starlings. There's great variation in the coloration of our starlings, maybe all starlings so far as I know, and this guy fit right in. But that bill...

Too long for it to even be at the extreme of common starling variation.

We didn't have starlings in the places I've lived in California until they started showing up where we live now about ten years ago. They seem to have displaced the blackbirds somewhat, but starlings sure do like to eat equally invasive European snails and slugs, which used to be our very worst garden pest. Now we rarely see them.

Maybe this guy was lost and I should look at Asian birds. Or maybe it was just a starling with a stupendously long bill...