Tristram's Starling
Onychognathus tristramii
Large, long-winged, and long-tailed starling. In flight, shows large orange wing panels. Males are glossy-black while females are browner overall. Noticeable from a distance by its unique call that often echos off desert wadi cliffs—a clear whistle “tuwheeuwheet.” Often found in small or medium flocks; can be tame and bold. Feeds on fruit, seeds, and arthropods.
Identification
Tristram's starling is 25 cm long (including a 9 cm tail), with a wingspan of 44–45 cm, and a weight of 100–140 g. The males have glossy iridescent black plumage with orange patches on the outer wing, which are particularly noticeable in flight. The bill and legs are black. Females and young birds are similar but duller and with a greyish head, lacking the plumage gloss.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Onychognathus tristramii
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL, 1858)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sturnidae
- Genus
- Onychognathus
Range and habitat
This bird is found in deserts in Israel, Jordan, northeastern Egypt (Sinai Peninsula), western Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman, nesting mainly on rocky cliff faces. The species is becoming increasingly commensal with humans, feeding in towns and villages; this has enabled a recent northward spread in its distribution.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Tristram's starlings are omnivorous, feeding on fruit and invertebrates (mainly insects such as beetles, flies, butterflies, and bees; but also small snails). They have also been observed grooming Nubian ibex and domestic livestock for parasites. Although they do not migrate for the most part, they fly relatively long distances compared to other resident birds, which likely makes them important seed dispersers for fleshy-fruited desert plants. In addition, they often forage for scraps in human settlements.<p>Tristram's starlings breed during the spring and early summer. They nest in existing cavities in rocky cliffs and also in urban buildings. Pairs are monogamous. The male courts the female by bringing her insects and twigs. They lay 2-4 eggs, which are blue with brown spots. Females incubate alone, but both parents feed the chicks. The young leave the nest about a month after hatching. Some pairs raise a second brood in later in the season, using the same nest.<p>Tristram's starling is a gregarious and noisy bird, with a call that resembles a wolf whistle. Outside the breeding season the starlings live in groups of between ten and a few hundred individuals. However, pairs remain together throughout the year, even when they join a larger group.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Piping Plover
Charadrius melodus
Small, plump, pale plover; the color of dry sand. In breeding plumage look for thin broken black collar across chest, black stripe across forehead, orange legs, and orange bill with black tip. Nonbreeding and immature birds have black bills and sandy-colored breastbands. White wingstripe visible in flight. Notably paler than other small plovers, with the exception of Snowy, from which Piping is distinguished by thicker bill and orange legs. Sometimes seen near other shorebirds, but rarely ventures far from the high, dry side of the beach. Often quite vocal; gives a sad-sounding two-parted whistle that drops in pitch: "pwee-doo." A species of great conservation concern, due to coastal development and disturbance at nesting sites on beaches.
Oleaginous Hemispingus
Sphenopsis frontalis
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Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
Chalcites lucidus
A small glossy-greenish bird with a heavily barred throat, chest and tail. Parasitises gerygone species across its range. Distinguished from Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo in Australia by lacking the dark stripe through the eye, and typically occurs in wetter and denser forest than Horsfield’s. Listen for territorial calls with a fast repeated rising “coo-ee” whistle (2 whistles per second), which can have phrases with a rougher and slower falling “tsee-ew” whistle (1 whistle per second) mixed in.
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