White-cheeked starling
| White-cheeked starling | |
|---|---|
| |
| Adult male (left) and female | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Sturnidae |
| Genus: | Spodiopsar |
| Species: | S. cineraceus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Spodiopsar cineraceus (Temminck, 1835)
| |
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sturnus cineraceus | |
The white-cheeked starling or grey starling (Spodiopsar cineraceus) is a passerine bird of the starling family. It is native to eastern Asia where it is a common and well-known bird in much of its range.
Taxonomy
The white-cheeked starling was formerly placed in the genus
Description
White-cheeked starlings are 24 cm in length. The adult male is mainly dark grey-brown with a paler belly and a whitish band across the rump. The head is blackish with whitish cheeks and forehead. There is a white border to the tail and white markings on the
The juvenile is brown with pale cheeks and rump and no black tip to the bill.
The loud, monotonous call is a series of harsh, creaking notes.
Distribution and ecology
The breeding range covers central and north-east
in 1998 which probably arrived with a ship (West 2002).It inhabits
It has a varied diet which includes fruit and insects such as mole crickets.
The breeding season lasts from March to July and often two
References
- . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- .
- Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2023). "Nuthatches, Wallcreeper, treecreepers, mockingbirds, starlings, oxpeckers". IOC World Bird List Version 13.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- . Retrieved 17 August 2015.
External links
Sources
Data related to Sturnus cineraceus at Wikispecies- Brazil, Mark A. & Yabuuchi, Masayuki (1991): The Birds of Japan. ISBN 1-56098-030-3
- Jønsson, Knud A. & Fjeldså, Jon (2006): A phylogenetic supertree of oscine passerine birds (Aves: Passeri). (HTML abstract)
- MacKinnon, John Ramsay, Phillipps, Karen & He, Fen-qi (2000): A Field Guide to the Birds of China. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-854940-7
- Robson, Craig(2002): A guide to the birds of Southeast Asia: Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia. New Holland, London. ISBN 1-85368-313-2
- West, George C. (2002): A Birder's Guide to Alaska. American Birding Association. ISBN 1-878788-19-1
- Zuccon, Dario; Cibois, Anne; Pasquet, Eric & Ericson, Per G.P. (2006): Nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data reveal the major lineages of starlings, mynas and related taxa. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41(2): 333–344. PMID 16806992(HTML abstract)
