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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
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







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