Tristram's starling
Tristram's starling | |
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at Masada, Israel | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Sturnidae |
Genus: | Onychognathus |
Species: | O. tristramii
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Binomial name | |
Onychognathus tristramii (Sclater, PL, 1858)
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Tristram's starling (Onychognathus tristramii), also known as Dead Sea starling or Tristram's grackle, is a species of starling native to the Middle East. It is the only member of the genus Onychognathus found mainly outside of Africa.[2] The species is named after Reverend Henry Baker Tristram, who collected natural history specimens.[3]
Distribution and habitat
This bird is found in deserts in Israel, Jordan, northeastern Egypt (Sinai Peninsula), western Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman, nesting mainly on rocky cliff faces. The species is becoming increasingly commensal with humans, feeding in towns and villages; this has enabled a recent northward spread in its distribution.[4]
Description
Tristram's starling is 25 cm long (including a 9 cm tail), with a wingspan of 44–45 cm, and a weight of 100–140 g. The males have glossy iridescent black plumage with orange patches on the outer wing, which are particularly noticeable in flight. The bill and legs are black. Females and young birds are similar but duller and with a greyish head, lacking the plumage gloss.[4][5]
Physiology
Although starlings are a tropical family by origin, Tristram's starling is well adapted to living in a desert environment: it loses relatively little water to evaporation and produces less heat than expected for its
Ecology and behavior
Diet
Tristram's starlings are
Breeding
Tristram's starlings breed during the spring and early summer. They nest in existing cavities in rocky cliffs and also in urban buildings.[8] Pairs are monogamous. The male courts the female by bringing her insects and twigs. They lay 2-4 eggs, which are blue with brown spots.[7] Females incubate alone,[10] but both parents feed the chicks. The young leave the nest about a month after hatching.[7] Some pairs raise a second brood in later in the season, using the same nest.[2]
Social behaviour
Tristram's starling is a gregarious and noisy bird, with a call that resembles a
Gallery
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Female in Israel
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A group in Masada, Israel
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Tristram's starling on a Nubian ibex in Sde Boker, Israel
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Oman
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A Tristram's starling, near Masada
References
- . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d Paz, U. (1987). The birds of Israel. Helm.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael (2003). Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 342–343.
- ^ ISBN 0-19-854099-X.
- ISBN 0-00-219728-6.
- ^ Dmi'el, R., & Tel-Tzur, D. (1985). Heat balance of two starling species (Sturnus vulgaris andOnychognathus tristrami) from temperate and desert habitats. Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 155(3), 395-402.
- ^ a b c d Craig, A. J. F. and C. J. Feare (2020). Tristram's Starling (Onychognathus tristramii), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.trista1.01
- ^ a b c Shirihai, H., Dovrat, E., Christie, D. A., & Harris, A. (1996). The birds of Israel (Vol. 876). London: Academic Press.
- ^ Spiegel, O. and Nathan, R. (2007), Incorporating dispersal distance into the disperser effectiveness framework: frugivorous birds provide complementary dispersal to plants in a patchy environment. Ecology Letters, 10: 718-728. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01062.x
- ^ Hofshi, H., Gersani, M., & Katzir, G. (1987). URBAN NESTING OF TRISTRAM'S GRACKLES ONYCHOGNATHUS TRLSTRAMLL IN ISRAEL. Ostrich, 58(4), 156-159.