Malabar Starling
Sturnia blythii
Brightly-colored starling with a smooth “silky” appearance. Male has a sharply contrasting white head and orange underparts. Female is plainer, with less contrast, and white restricted to the forehead. Very similar Chestnut-tailed Starling is not sexually dimorphic; also note grayer head and shorter bill. Found in open areas with scattered trees, often in proximity to human habitation. Forages on trees and on the ground, usually in pairs or small flocks.
Taxonomy
The Malabar starling was formerly placed in the genus Sturnus. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2008 found that the genus was polyphyletic. In the reoganization to create monotypic genera, the Malabar starling was one of five starlings moved to the resurrected genus Sturnia that had been introduced in 1837 by René Lesson. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The Malabar starling was formerly considered to be conspecific with the chestnut-tailed starling (Sturnia malabarica).
- Scientific name
- Sturnia blythii
- Authority
- (Jerdon, 1845)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sturnidae
- Genus
- Sturnia
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Pretty waxbill that is gray, black, and white, with red highlights. The bright red rump is conspicuous in flight. Found along forest edge and clearings, usually in grassy areas, in pairs or small flocks. The calls include high-pitched “tsik” and “tseet” notes which are often given in chorus by a flock, especially in flight. Similar to Black-crowned Waxbill, but darker and browner overall, with a black rather than white undertail.
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Tiny gray and white bird with cocked tail. Local in dry tropical scrub of northern Yucatan Peninsula. Male has a black cap, solid in breeding season, but with narrow white eyebrow in non-breeding season. Female has gray cap with narrow white eyebrow year-round. Told from Blue-gray Gnatcatcher by face pattern: Blue-gray has a white eyering, not a white brow.
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