THE WORLD BIRDS - An Online Bird Book
Order Passeriformes Family Sturnidae
Asian STARLINGs and their Allies
Order Passeriformes Family Sturnidae
The family Sturnidae includes the starlings and mynas. Family members are collectively know as the starlings. The family also used to include the oxpeckers, but they now are thought to be rather distant relatives. Some starling species are good mimics, and the family is related to the mimidae family of mockingbirds. Starlings are small to medium sized. They are usually dark colored, often with a metallic sheen, but some have bright colors. Many species have very bright eyes. The starlings eat insects and fruit. They favor open spaces.
Genus Aplonis Found: Australasia and southwest Pacific
Starling, Asian Glossy Aplonis panayensis Found: south Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
The Asian Glossy Starling has greenish-black or bluish-black plumage. Juvenile has grayish-brown upperparts; whitish underparts with dark streaks.
Huge numbers of Asian Glossy Starlings inhabit towns and cities, where they take refuge in abandoned buildings and trees. They often move in large groups and are considered one of the noisiest species of birds.
Image by: 1, 2) Lip Kee - Singapore and Malaysia 3) Tu7uh.jpg){kind=link}
1) Juvenile
Starling,_Atoll Aplonis feadensis Found: New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Image by: 1) Geoff_Jones 2) Charles_Davies
Starling,_Brown-winged Aplonis grandis Found: Solomon Islands
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) David_Ringer
Starling, Kosrae Aplonis corvina Found: Caroline Islands of South Pacific
Image by: 1) Von Kittliz
Starling, Long-tailed Aplonis magna Found: New Guinea
The Long-tailed Starling has black plumage with a greenish sheen; black feet, bill; brown eyes; very long tail.
Image by: 1) Jerrry 2) Lip Kee
Starling,_Makira Aplonis dichroa Found: Solomon Islands
Image by: 1) hbw.com
Starling, Metallic Aplonis metallica Found: Australia
Image by: 1, 2, 6, 7) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo 3 , 4, 5) Dick - Australia
1, 2) Female 3) Female with nest 4, 5, 6) Male
Starling, Micronesian Aplonis opaca Found: Micronesia (north of Australia)
Image by: 1) Tropical Pete 2, 3) Tony Morris
Starling, Moluccan Aplonis mysolensis Found: Indonesia
Image by: 1) Adolf Meyer
Starling,_Mountain Aplonis santovestris Found: island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu
Image by: 1) beautyofbirds
Starling,_Pohnpei Aplonis pelzelni Found: Pohnpei in Micornesia
The Pohnpei Starling has sooty-brown upperparts; darker head; washed olive-brown underparts. It may be extinct.
Image by: 1) hbw.com
Starling, Polynesian Aplonis tabuensis Found: Fiji and other islands
Image by: 1) Joseph Smit 2) Aviceda - Fiji
Starling,_Rarotonga Aplonis cinerascens Found: Cook Islands of the South Pacific
The Rarotonga Starling has brownish-gray plumage; pale under-tail; yellowish eyes; black bill, legs.
Image by: 1) Gerald_McCormack
Starling,_Rennell Aplonis insularis Found: Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands.
Image by: 1) Markus_Lagerqvist
Starling,_Rusty-winged Aplonis zelandica Found: Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
Image by: 1) hbw.com
Starling, Samoan Aplonis atrifusca Found: Samoa
Image by: 1) Weedmandan 2) Ryan Francia
Starling, Short-tailed Aplonis minor Found: Indonesia, Philippines
Image by: 1) Francesco Veronesi - Philippines
Starling,_Singing Aplonis cantoroides Found: New Guinera
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) Jerry Oldenettel
Starling, Striated Aplonis striata Found: New Caledonia of southwest Pacific Ocean
Image by: 1) Tony Morris 2) Olivier H
Starling, Tanimbar Aplonis crassa Found: Indonesia
Image by: 1, 2) Joseph Smit
1) Female 2) Male
Starling,_White-eyed Aplonis brunneicapillus Found: New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Image by: 1) hbw.com
Starling,_Yellow-eyed Aplonis mystacea Found: New Guinea
The Yellow-eyed Starling has mainly black plumage; glossy purple head, mantle; glossy bronze-green purple; pale yellow eyes; black bill, legs.
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) hbw.com
Genus Mino
These are the largest of the starlings, and are found in tropical moist lowland forests in Papua New Guinea and neighbouring islands.
Myna, Dumont's Yellow-faced also Yellow-faced Myna Mino dumontii Found: New Guinea
The Dumont's Myna has mainly black plumage; yellow collar, eye-patches, bill; white rump.
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2, 3, 4)
Darren Bellerby - Edward Youde Aviary, Hong Kong
Myna,_Long-tailed Mino kreffti Found: Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands
The Long-tailed Myna has mainly pruple-glossed black plumage; orange-yellow bare skin around eyes; yellow lower-belly, rump, bill.
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) Joseph Smit 3) Tony Morris - Guadalcanal
Myna,_Golden Mino anais Found: New Guinea
The Golden Myna has mainly black plumage; golden collar, upper-breast, rump, bill.
Image by: 1) Katerina_Tvardikova 2) Mark Harper
