- Aplonis dichroa
Alternative name: San Cristobal Starling
Identification
20cm. A rather small Starling.
- Mostly blackish plumage, glossy purple green on crown, throat and upper breast, dark brown on mantle and rump
- Tawny brown remiges, paler when worn
- Dark brown tail
- Red eye (sometimes orange or tawny)
- Black bill and legs
Sexes similar. Juveniles are browner and less glossy.
Distribution
Endemic to San Cristobal (Makira) in the southeast Solomon Islands.
Fairly common but with a tiny global range.
Taxonomy
A monotypic species.
May form a superspecies with Brown-winged Starling and was also considered conspecific.
Habitat
Forest, especially secondary forest. Least common on coast.
Behaviour
Usually seen in small groups of 3 - 8 birds, sometimes in flocks of up to 30 birds.
Diet
Feed on fruit.
Breeding
A monogamous species, breeding solitary. The nest is spherical and made of sticks. It's placed in dense forest subcanopy.
Movements
A resident species.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Makira Starling. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Makira_Starling
