From Opus

Alternarive name: Rose-coloured Starling

Photo by john-henry
Location: Lesvos, Greece

Sturnus roseus

Pastor roseus

[edit] Identification

21cm
Pink Legs
Short stout bill
Adult Rose-pink body with glossy black crested head, neck, wings, vent and tail. Bill is orange/pink in summer, brown in winter.
Females a bit duller, with a shorter crest.
Juvenile no crest. Sandy-brown upperparts, dark, pale-fringed wings, dark tail, whitish underparts. Yellowish bill. Pale rump and dark patches under the wing show in flight.

[edit] Similar Species

Juvenile resembles a pale young Common Starling, but can be identified by the pink legs and paler plumage.

Photo by jandok
Location: Lauwersmeer, Netherlands
A first-year bird, the type that most often occur as vagrants in western Europe

[edit] Distribution

Eastern Europe, Asia and India. Vagrants to western Europe.

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species which is sometimes placed in the genus Pastor.

[edit] Habitat

Steppe and open agricultural land.

[edit] Behaviour

Gregarious, forming flocks with Common Starling.

[edit] Breeding

Nests in holes in walls, among stones on open ground.

[edit] Diet

Its diet includes grasshoppers and other insects.

[edit] Vocalisation

High-pitched rapid chatter when feeding in flocks.

[edit] References

1. Wikipedia
2. Birdwatchers Pocket Guide ISBN 1-85732-804-3
3. Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
4. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition

[edit] External Links