Striated Starling
Aplonis striata
Small, dark starling with a bright red eye, short tail, and thick bill. Male glossy black with a faintly striated pattern. Female gray overall, slightly paler on the underparts. Found throughout New Caledonia and on the Loyalty Islands, though more common in areas of higher quality habitat. Most common call a surprisingly high-pitched, clear downslurred whistle. Also gives a more rarely-heard quiet babbling song.
Taxonomy
The striated starling was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the rollers in the genus Coracias and coined the binomial name Coracias striata. The specific epithet is from Latin striatus meaning "striated". Gmelin based his account on the "Blue-striped roller" that had been described and illustrated in 1781 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his book A General Synopsis of Birds. The striated starling is now placed in the genus Aplonis that was introduced in 1836 by John Gould.<p>Two subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Aplonis striata
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sturnidae
- Genus
- Aplonis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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