It is said by the people of Sinnoh that when Arceus was making the pokemon, that he colored Starly with the drab gray and white of the winter sky, to remind people that the bitter cold of winter is never far behind. It is also said by a few that Arceus designed it in black and white and forgot to color it in. In truth, Starly are colored like the winter sky to blend in with the winter sky, in order to both hide from hungry ice pokemon and sneak up on bug-type prey, for they lack the stamina to migrate around the world.
Although most birds shirk from stormy weather, Starly are fond of it, for it provides them with virtual invisibility. Their eyes are as sharp as a Fearow's at birth, in order for them to navigate through rain, snow, and hail – sharper than even a Staravia's, for they must rely on these conditions to hunt, while once they evolve they are much tougher and scarier.
In Sinnoh, it is often hard to tell even for humans where snowfall ends and a flock of hungry Starly begins. It is said that when the winter is mild and the Starly lose their chance to feed, they create a storm themselves, flapping their wings furiously to create fierce winds and slowly dropping like snow out of the sky. Some of their prey will take no chances and hide from every storm, but in the fierce winters of Sinnoh this often replaces being eaten with starvation, for blizzards and hailstorms are common there and do not quickly end.