Birds of The World: STARLINGS

STARLINGs of The World 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

Starling, Metallic Aplonis metallica Found: Australia
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Australia
1, 2) Male 3) Female with nest

Genus Cinnyricinclus

Starling, Violet-backed aka Amethyst Starling Cinnyricinclus leucogaster Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - North Carolina Zoo 3) Carol Foil - Rift Valley, Kenya 4) Trisha Shears - Cincinnati Zoo
1 - 4) Male

Genus Cosmopsarus

Starling, Ashy Cosmopsarus unicolor Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Yoky - Tanzania 2) Dick Daniels - Tanzania

Starling, Golden-breasted Cosmopsarus regius Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - Birds of Eden, South Africa

Genus Creatophora - 1 species

Starling, Wattled Creatophora cinerea Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Carol Foil - Rift Valley, Kenya 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Tazania.
2) Identified by Charlie Westerinen

Genus Lamprotornis
Glossy Starlings

Starling, Black-bellied Glossy- Lamprotornis corruscus Found: Africa

The Black-bellied Glossy-starling is sometimes placed in genus Notopholia.

Photographed by Sandy Cole - Birds of Eden, South Africa

Starling, Burchell's Glossy- Lamprotornis australis Found: Africa
Photographed by: Alastair Rae

Starling, Cape Glossy aka Brahminy Myna aka Red-shouldered Glossy-starling Lamprotornis nitens Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2) Arno Meintjes 3) Dick Daniels near Kruger National Park, South Africa
4, 5, 6) Dick - Johannesburg, South Africa

Starling, Hilderbrandt Lamprotornis hildebrandti Found: Africa
Photographed by Dick Daniels - Tanzania

Starling, Iris Glossy- aka Emerald Starling Lamprotornis iris aka Coccycolius iris Found: west Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - North Carolina Zoo 3) Sandy Cole -North Carolina Zoo

Starling, Greater Blue-eared Glossy Lamprotornis chalybaeus Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Carol Foil - Kenya 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - South Africa

Starling, Lesser Blue-eared Glossy- Lamprotornis chloropterus Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Sue Robinson 2) Rennett Stowe

Starling, Purple Glossy- Lamprotornis purpureus Found: Africa
Photographed by Dick Daniels - Birds of Eden, South Africa

Starling, Superb Lamprotornis superbus Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Dick Daniels - Birds of Eden, South Africa 3) Dick - Tanzania
2) Sandy Cole - Birds of Eden 4) Sandy - Tanzania

Starling, Ruppell's Longtail aka Ruppell's Glossy-starling Lamprotornis purpuroptera Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Yoky - Tanzania 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Tanzania

Genus Onychognathus

Starling, Bristle-crowned Onychognathus salvadorii Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3) Carol Foil - Buffalo Spring Reserve, Samburu District, Kenya

Starling, Pale-winged Onychognathus nabouroup Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Hans Hillewaert - Namibia

Starling, Red-winged Onychognathus morio Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8) Dick Daniels - South Africa 6) Sandy Cole - South Africa
1, 2, 3) Female 4 - 7) Male

Genus Spreo
Sometimes included in genus Lamprotornis.

Starling, Pied Spreo bicolor Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2) Brian Ralphs - Addo National Park in the Eastern Province of South Africa
3, 4) Dick Daniels - Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Genus Sturnia

Starling, Brahminy Sturnia pagodarum Found: Asia
Photographed by: 1) Mukerjee - Delhi 2) Ravi Vaidyanathan

Genus Sturnus

Starling, Asian Pied aka Pied Myna Sturnus contra Found: Asia

The Asian Pied Starling is sometimes places in Acridotheres or in Gracupica.

Photographed by: 1) Ravi Vaidyanathan - India 2) J M Garg - India

Starling, Black-collared Sturnus nigricollis Found: Asia
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3) Darren Bellerby - Kowloon Park, Hong Kong

Starling, European aka Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris Native: Europe, Asia Introduced: North America, Africa, Australasia.
Photographed by Dick Daniels in: 1, 2) North Carolina 3) Capetown, South Africa 4) Scotland
4) Adult and juvenile

MYNAs

Genus Acridotheres

Myna, Bank Acridotheres ginginianus Found: Asia
Photographed by: 1) Mukerjee - India 2) Thomas Schoch - India

Myna, Common Acridotheres tristis Native to Asia. Also found: North America, Africa, Australasia
Photographed by: 1) Dick Daniels - Nepal 2) Dick - Hawaii 3) Dick - Johannesburg, South Africa 4, 5, 6) Dick - Australia

Myna, Crested Acridotheres cristatellus Found: southeast Asia
Photographed by: 1) Magalhães - Artis, Amsterdam 2) Darren Bellerby - Hong Kong Park, Hong Kong

Myna, Javan Acridotheres javanicus Found: Southeast Asia
Photographed by: 1, 2) Darren Bellerby - Jurong Bird Park, Singapore 3) Arthur Chapman - Singapore

Myna, Jungle Acridotheres fuscus Found: Asia
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Nepal

Genus Ampeliceps - 1 species

Myna, Golden-crested Ampeliceps coronatus Found: Asia
Photographed by: 1) Dick Daniels - North Carolina Zoo 2) Sandy Cole - North Carolina Zoo

Genus Gracula

Myna, Common Hill aka Hill Myna Gracula religiosa Found: Southeast Asia
Photographed by: 1) Arthur Chapman

Genus Leucopsar - 1 species

Myna, Bali aka Bali Starling Leucopsar rothschildi Endemic to Bali
Photographed by: 1, 2) Colin Burnett 3) Dick Daniels - Washington National Zoo 4) Darren Bellerby - Edward Youde Aviary, Hong Kong

Genus Mino

Myna, Dumont's Yellow-faced aka Yellow-faced Myna Mino dumontii Found: New Guinea
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3) Darren Bellerby - Edward Youde Aviary, Hong Kong

Genus Streptocitta

Myna, White-necked Streptocitta albicollis Found: Indonesia
Photographed by: 1) Charles Lam 2) Darren Bellerby - Edward Youde Aviary, Hong Kong

OXPECKERs

Order Passeriformes Family Buphagidae - 1 genus

The ocpeckers were previously considered part of the starling family.

Genus Buphagus

Oxpecker, Red-billed Buphagus erythrorhynchus Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Dick Daniels - Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa 2, 3) Arno Meintjes

Oxpecker, Yellow-billed Buphagus africanus Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Arno Meintjes 2) Dick Daniels - Tanzania

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