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The Chestnut-tailed Starling (Temenuchus malabaricus[1] ) is a member of the starling family of perching birds. It is a resident or partially migratory species found in wooded habitats in India and Southeast Asia. The taxon blythii us sometimes considered a separate species, Sturnus blythii (Malabar White-headed Starling or White-headed Myna; leading to easy confusion with the White-headed Starling), in which case the common name of S. malabaricus sometimes is modified to Grey-headed Myna. Furthermore, it is sometimes placed in the genus Sturnia instead of Sturnus.
Taxonomy and distribution
It has been placed in the genus Sturnia and Sturnus in the past (Zuccon et al., 2006) but molecular studies have found support for a clade that includes four species placed in the genus Temenuchus.[1]
There are three subspecies of the Chestnut-tailed Starling:
Both the nominate subspecies and nemoricola are known to perform some poorly understood movements (e.g. S. m. malabaricus has been recorded from Pakistan and in central and southern India).
The taxon blythii is sometimes (e.g. Rasmussen & Anderton, 2005) considered a valid species, the Malabar White-headed Starling or White-headed Myna (T. blythii), instead of a subspecies of T. malabaricus. As T. m. malabaricus only visits the range of blythii during the non-breeding period (winter), the two are not known to interbreed.
Description
Temenuchus malabaricus blythii
The adults have a total length of approximately 20 cm (8 in). They have grey upperparts and blackish remiges, but the colour of the remaining plumage depend 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 flanks and crissum). The nominate and nemoricola have a light grey head with whitish streaking (especially on crown and collar region). In blythii, the head and chest are white. All 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.
Beharvior
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.
In Cotigao National Park, Goa, India
Notes
- ^ a b Lovette, I., McCleery, B., Talaba, A., & Rubenstein, D. (2008). "A complete species-level molecular phylogeny for the “Eurasian” starlings (Sturnidae: Sturnus, Acridotheres, and allies): Recent diversification in a highly social and dispersive avian group.". Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 47 (1): 251-260. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.01.020, http://www.dustinrubenstein.com/webpage/PUBLICATIONS_files/MPE2008.pdf.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Sturnus malabaricus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Grimmett, Richard; Inskipp, Carol, Inskipp, Tim & Byers, Clive (1999): Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.. ISBN 0-691-04910-6
- Rasmussen, Pamela C. & Anderton John C. (2005): Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. ISBN 8487334679
- Zuccon D, Cibois A, Pasquet E, Ericson PG. (2006) Nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data reveal the major lineages of starlings, mynas and related taxa. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 41(2):333-44.
Gallery
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After bath on Kapok in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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After bath on Kapok in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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On Kapok in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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On Kapok in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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After swallowing a Kapok in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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On Kapok in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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In Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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Looking for a drop of water in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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In Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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A group in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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In Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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After bath in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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After bath in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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Preening in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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In Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
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