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Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-headed Myna, Sturnia malabarica, นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา

The Chestnut-tailed Starling or Grey-headed Myna (Sturnia malabarica) is a member of the starling family. It is a resident or partially migratory species found in wooded habitats in India and Southeast Asia. The species name is after the distribution of a former subspecies in the Malabar region.

While the Chestnut-tailed Starling is a winter visitor to peninsular India, the closely related resident breeding population with a white head is now treated as a full species, the Malabar starling (Sturnia blythii).

Taxonomy and distribution
The lack of monophyly in the earlier starling genera has led to this species being placed variously under genus Sturnia, Sturnus and Temenuchus in the past (Zuccon et al., 2006) and studies have suggested the reuse of an old name Temenuchus for members of this clade. Later studies have suggested placement in the genus Sturnia.

Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-headed Myna, Sturnia malabarica, นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
Here it is easy to see how the bird got it's name
Lat Krabang, Bangkok - May 2020

There are two subspecies of the Chestnut-tailed Starling:

S. m. malabarica: North-eastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and north-western Burma
S. m. nemoricola: Southern China, Taiwan, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia

Both the nominate subspecies and nemoricola are known to perform some poorly understood movements (e.g. S. m. malabarica has been recorded from Pakistan and in central and southern India).

The taxon blythii is now usually (e.g. Rasmussen & Anderton, 2005) considered a valid species, the Malabar white-headed starling or white-headed myna (Sturnia blythii), instead of a subspecies of Sturnia malabarica. As S. m. malabarica only visits the range of blythii during the non-breeding period (winter), the two are not known to interbreed.

However a molecular study found the genetic divergence between S. m. blythii not significantly greater (between 0.2% and 0.8%) than between the sisters S. m. malabarica of northern India and S. m. nemoricola of Burma and Vietnam.

Range map from www.oiseaux.net

Range map
Range map from www.oiseaux.net - Ornithological Portal Oiseaux.net
www.oiseaux.net is one of those MUST visit pages if you're in to bird watching. You can find just about everything there

Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-headed Myna, Sturnia malabarica, นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
Ppproximate range
By Nrg800 - Natural Earth and Myself, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16157662

Description
The adults have a total length of approximately 20 cm. They have grey upperparts and blackish remiges, but the colour of the remaining plumage depends on the subspecies. In the nominate subspecies and blythii, the underparts (incl. undertail) are rufous, but in nemoricola the underparts are whitish tinged rufous, especially on the flanks and crissum (the undertail coverts surrounding the cloaca).

The nominate and nemoricola have a light grey head with whitish streaking (especially on crown and collar region). Both subspecies have white irides and a yellow bill with a pale blue base. The sexes are similar, but juveniles have whitish underparts and just chestnut tips to the tail feathers.

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

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.

Length: 20 cm
Wingspan:
Weight: 32 - 44 g
Longevity:
Distinctive Feature

Similar Species

• The subspecies nemoricola can look similar to White-shouldered Starling.

From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.
Female / Male / Juvenile

• Sexes similar. Juveniles are grey-brown.

From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.

Listen to the Chestnut-tailed Starling

www.xeno-canto.org

Conservation status
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004. Retrieved 12 May 2006.



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

www.birdforum.net


Sighted: (Date of first photo that I could use) 4 May 2020
Location: Lat Krabang paddies, Bangkok


Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-headed Myna, Sturnia malabarica, นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
Chestnut-tailed Starling / นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
4 May 2020 - Lat Krabang paddies, Bangkok

Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-headed Myna, Sturnia malabarica, นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
Chestnut-tailed Starling / นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
4 May 2020 - Lat Krabang paddies, Bangkok

Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-headed Myna, Sturnia malabarica, นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
Chestnut-tailed Starling / นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
4 May 2020 - Lat Krabang paddies, Bangkok

Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-headed Myna, Sturnia malabarica, นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
Chestnut-tailed Starling / นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
4 May 2020 - Lat Krabang paddies, Bangkok

Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-headed Myna, Sturnia malabarica, นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
Chestnut-tailed Starling / นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
14 March 2023 - eBird hotspot: Wiang Nong Lom--Wat Pa Mak No, Chiang Rai

Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-headed Myna, Sturnia malabarica, นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
Chestnut-tailed Starling / นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
14 March 2023 - eBird hotspot: Wiang Nong Lom--Wat Pa Mak No, Chiang Rai

Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-headed Myna, Sturnia malabarica, นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
Chestnut-tailed Starling / นกกิ้งโครงแกลบหัวเทา
14 March 2023 - eBird hotspot: Wiang Nong Lom--Wat Pa Mak No, Chiang Rai



PLEASE! If I have made any mistakes identifying any bird, PLEASE let me know on my guestbook



       
                  



                                       

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