Starlings (Sturnidae)
Chestnut-tailed Starling (Sturnia malabarica) - HBW 14, p. 731
French: Étourneau à tête grise
German: Graukopfstar
Spanish: Estornino Malabar
Other common names: Grey-headed/Ashy-headed Starling/Myna; Blyth's/Malabar White-headed Starling/Myna (blythii)
Taxonomy: Turdus malabaricus J. F. Gmelin, 1789, Malabar coast, India.
Genus often subsumed into Sturnus. Distinctive race blythii has sometimes been treated as a separate species on basis of plumage, proportions, sexual dimorphism, and vocal differences; claims of intergradation have been disputed. Proposed race assamica (described from Naga Hills, in NE India) synonymized with nemoricola. Type locality of species falls outside breeding range of nominate race and instead within range of race blythii, but in non-breeding season both forms can co-occur in this region; name presumably based on a visiting specimen. Three subspecie.. View all taxonomy...
Genus often subsumed into Sturnus. Distinctive race blythii has sometimes been treated as a separate species on basis of plumage, proportions, sexual dimorphism, and vocal differences; claims of intergradation have been disputed. Proposed race assamica (described from Naga Hills, in NE India) synonymized with nemoricola. Type locality of species falls outside breeding range of nominate race and instead within range of race blythii, but in non-breeding season both forms can co-occur in this region; name presumably based on a visiting specimen. Three subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- malabarica ( J. F. Gmelin, 1789) - N India (foothills in Himachal Pradesh) E to NE Arunachal Pradesh (Mishmi Hills) and N Assam, S to Orissa; occurs in remainder of peninsula, but status uncertain.
- blythii ( Jerdon, 1845) - SW India (from S Maharashtra S to Kerala).
- nemoricola Jerdon, 1862 - NE India (S Assam) E to Myanmar, S China, Thailand and Indochina.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A bird caling and preening. Locality Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Ernakulam District, Kerala, India (ssp blythii)
Josep del Hoyo 30 November 2009 3 years ago 46 sec 4 -
An adult feeding on a flowering tree Locality Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India (ssp malabarica)
Greg Baker 18 March 2011 1 year ago 24 sec 3.8 -
An individual moving in a tree, eating fruits. Locality Tmatboey, Preah Vihear Province, Cambodia (Monotypic species)
Josep del Hoyo 7 March 2011 1 year ago 29 sec 3.8 -
An adult on a tree... Locality Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Soumyadeep Chatterjee 97 7 August 2011 1 year ago 43 sec 3.5 -
An adult flying away from its perch on a branch. Then preening in a tree Locality Cotigao National Park, Goa, India (Monotypic species)
Tom Tarrant 9 years ago 19 sec 3.4 -
A group preening in a leafless tree Locality Rangsit Marsh, Central Thailand, Thailand (Monotypic species)
Josep del Hoyo 22 November 2004 7 years ago 23 sec 3.3
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Seen in a bush.
Locality Arpora Forest, North Goa District, Goa, India
David Lingard 15 November 2011 1 year ago 4.2 -
Chestnut-tailed Starling, Place-Bondbaag,Phonda,Goa.
Locality Ponda, North Goa District, Goa, India
mandaringoa 3 November 2012 18 weeks ago 4 -
A Chestnut-tailed Starling beating the heat.
Locality Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary, Narendrapur, South 24 Parganas District, West Bengal, India
Agniva 38 weeks ago 4 -
Starling perched
Locality Bangalore, Karnataka, India
harikamal 13 November 2011 1 year ago 4 -
A winter migrant
Locality Masinagudi, The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India (ssp malabarica)
vasanthan.p.j 29 December 2010 2 years ago 4 -
A bird on a tree.
Locality Uttarakhand, India
Soumyadeep Chatterjee 97 26 May 2011 1 year ago 3.9
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A bird giving calls Locality Volière Gesellschaft, St. Gallen, St. Gallen Canton, Switzerland
Michael C 1 January 2008 3 years ago 4 -
Calling in morning
Locality Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India
(ssp malabarica)
RAM GOPAL SONI 1 November 1996 3 years ago 3
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