Chestnut-tailed Starling

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iChestnut-tailed Starling
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Sturnidae Genus: Sturnus Species: S. malabaricus
Binomial name
Sturnus malabaricus (Gmelin, 1789)
Synonyms
Sturnia malabarica

The Chestnut-tailed Starling or Grey-headed Myna, Sturnus malabaricus, is a member of the starling family of birds. It is a resident breeder in India and southeast Asia.

This passerine is typically found in open woodland and cultivation. The Chestnut-tailed Starling builds a nest in hole. The normal clutch is 3-5 eggs.

The adults of these 20cm long birds have dark grey upperparts, rufous underparts and a chestnut tail. The head is a paler grey, with a white throat.

The sexes are similar, but juveniles have grey upperparts and whitish underparts, with just chestnut tips to the tail feathers.

Sturnia blythii, earlier considered a race of Sturnia malabarica. Adults of this south-west Indian race have a completely white head and breast. This subspecies is now considered a full species. They are resident breeders in the forests of the Western Ghats and do not interbreed with the migrant race which also visits the region in winter.

Like most starlings, the Chestnut-tailed Starling is fairly omnivorous, eating fruit, nectar and insects. They fly in tight flocks and often rapidly change directions with great synchrony.

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2004). Sturnus malabaricus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6